UK’s former chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks passes away at 72
Former UK chief rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks died Saturday morning, his official Twitter account announced.
Sacks, 72, revealed last month that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
Sacks served as chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth from 1991 until 2013 and was among the most prominent expositors of Orthodox Judaism in the world, having authored dozens of books addressing contemporary spiritual and moral issues.
His most recent book, “Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times,” was published in September.
Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet. It with the deepest sadness that we regret to inform you that Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (HaRav Ya’akov Zvi ben David Arieh z’’l) passed away early this morning, Saturday 7th November 2020 (Shabbat Kodesh 20th MarCheshvan 5781).
— Rabbi Sacks (@rabbisacks) November 7, 2020
Sacks’ office had not specified what type of cancer he had, saying in October that “he remains positive and upbeat and will now spend a period of time focused on the treatment he is receiving from his excellent medical team,” the statement said.
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Sacks had been treated for cancer twice before, in his 30s and again in his 50s, a fact that wasn’t widely known until it was disclosed in a 2012 book.
Sacks taught at Yeshiva University and New York University as well as at King’s College London and several other top schools. He was a Senior Fellow at Canada’s Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
Sacks, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 and awarded a Life Peerage in the British House of Lords in 2009, was an outspoken advocate of religious and social tolerance throughout his career.
He was also an advocate for the compatibility of science and religion, which some people see as mutually exclusive.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin mourned Sacks’s passing, who he called “a man of words… and of creativity, a man of truth, whose generosity and compassion built bridges between people.”
HE said Sacks “bravely faced difficult questions and always found the right words to illuminate the Torah and explain its paths. We will always remember his warnings against violence in the name of God, and his belief that we have the power to heal a fractured world.”