Former chief rabbi of Great Britain Lord Jonathan Sacks dies
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and noted Jewish philosopher, orator and author, died on Saturday at aged 72 after treatment for cancer. He wrote extensively on Torah scho9larship and moral philosophy while also forging relations with the heads of the Christian and Muslim communities. Condolences came from President Reuven Rivlin, UK PM Boris Johnson, opposition Labor leader Keir Stermer, as well as Jewish and Christian leaders. Former British PM Tony Blair said Lord Sachs was a man of “huge intellect” who was respected beyond the Jewish community and shores of Britain. Nick Baines, the Anglican bishop of Leeds, said: “A giant has gone.”
Born in Lambeth, London, Rabbi Sachs went to school in Finchley before attending Cambridge University, where he gained first class honors in philosophy. He was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013 and knighted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2005. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Elaine Taylor, their three children and several grandchildren