Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks
Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks (8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English
Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the
Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. As the spiritual head of the
United Synagogue, the largest synagogue body in the United Kingdom, he was the
Chief Rabbi of those
Orthodox synagogues but was not recognized as the religious authority for the
Haredi Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations or for the progressive movements such as
Conservative,
Reform, and
Liberal Judaism. As Chief Rabbi, he formally carried the title of
Av Beit Din (head) of the
London Beth Din. At the time of his death, he was the Emeritus Chief Rabbi.
After stepping down as Chief Rabbi, in addition to his international travelling and speaking engagements and prolific writing, Sacks served as the Ingeborg and Ira Rennert Global Distinguished Professor of Judaic Thought at
New York University and as the Kressel and Ephrat Family University Professor of Jewish Thought at
Yeshiva University. He was also appointed Professor of Law, Ethics, and the Bible at
King's College London. He won the
Templeton Prize (awarded for work affirming life's spiritual dimension) in 2016. He was also a Senior Fellow to the
Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
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