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Jonathan Sacks

Emeritus Chief Rabbi The Right Honourable
The Lord Sacks
Sirjonathansacks.jpg
Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth
In office
1 September 1991 – 1 September 2013
Preceded by The Lord Jakobovits
Succeeded by Ephraim Mirvis
Member of the House of Lords
Assumed office
1 September 2009
Personal details
Born Jonathan Henry Sacks (Yaakov Zvi)
(1948-03-08) 8 March 1948 (age 68)
London, England
Nationality United Kingdom
Political party Crossbench
Spouse(s) Elaine Taylor Sacks
Children Joshua, Dina and Gila
Alma mater Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge
New College, Oxford
King's College London
Religion Modern Orthodox Judaism
Awards Canterbury Medal
Semicha Jews' College and Etz Chaim Yeshiva (London)
Website rabbisacks.org

Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks (Hebrew: Yaakov Zvi, יעקב צבי; born 8 March 1948) is a British rabbi, philosopher and scholar of Judaism.

He 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 UK, 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 Masorti, Reform and Liberal Judaism. As Chief Rabbi, Sacks formally carried the title of Av Beit Din (head) of the London Beth Din.

Since stepping down as Chief Rabbi, in addition to his international travelling and speaking engagements and prolific writing, Sacks has served as the Ingeborg and Ira Rennert Global Distinguished Professor of Judaic Thought at New York University and the Kressel and Ephrat Family University Professor of Jewish Thought at Yeshiva University. He has also been appointed as Professor of Law, Ethics and the Bible at King's College London.

He won the Templeton Prize for 2016.

Born in London (England) on 8 March 1948, Sacks commenced his formal education at St Mary's Primary School and at Christ's College Finchley. He completed his higher education at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge where he gained a first-class Honours Degree in Philosophy. While a student at Cambridge, Sacks traveled to New York to meet Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, to discuss a variety of issues relating to religion, faith and philosophy. Schneerson urged Sacks to seek rabbinic ordination and to enter the rabbinate. Sacks subsequently continued his studies at New College, Oxford as well as at King's College London, completing a doctorate in 1981. Sacks received his rabbinic ordination from Jews' College and London's Etz Chaim Yeshiva. He married Elaine in 1970 and together they had three children: Joshua, Dina and Gila.


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