OU, RCA & YU Mark Passing of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks With Moving Video Tribute

02 Dec 2020

NEW YORK – The Orthodox Union, Rabbinical Council of America and Yeshiva University have joined together to create a moving video tribute to former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks that highlights his teachings, impact and influence. The video was released on Sunday, November 29th.

The 22-minute video features political leaders, communal officials, rabbis, educators and students who share personal messages highlighting how Rabbi Sacks impacted and influenced them to ‘raise the bar’ in their own lives and communal work.

“The message of the video highlights Rabbi Sacks’ impact as a profoundly eloquent teacher of Torah and spokesman for Torah values within the Jewish community and beyond. He was an intellectual giant whose unique blend of Torah scholarship, academic achievement, human sensitivity and social awareness allowed him to speak to the issues of our times to the broadest of audiences, and he did so with courage, clarity and optimism,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane. “Rabbi Sacks was a beacon of Kiddush Hashem, whose thoughtful teachings improved the world and invariably brought honor to the Torah and the Jewish people. Among his prolific writings on a wide variety of subjects, his Torah commentary was studied weekly by tens of thousands.”

“Rabbi Sacks spent a distinguished life and career serving as a profoundly eloquent teacher and spokesman for Torah values within the Jewish community and throughout the world,” said Rabbinical Council of America President Rabbi Daniel Korobkin.

“Rabbi Sacks was a world-renowned scholar, teacher and leader who enlightened and inspired, influenced and empowered world Jewry, global leaders and communities throughout the world. He magisterially demonstrated the enduring importance of God and religious values in our contemporary society. For our community, Rabbi Sacks uniquely exemplified and articulated Yeshiva University’s worldview and mission to the broader Jewish people and the world at large. His legacy will continue through all the lives elevated by his teaching,” said Yeshiva University President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman.

To watch the video, please visit https://www.ou.org/sackstribute/.

Founded in 1898, the Orthodox Union, (OU), serves as the voice of American Orthodox Jewry, with over 400 congregations in its synagogue network. As the umbrella organization for American Orthodox Jewry, the OU is at the forefront of advocacy work on both state and federal levels, outreach to Jewish teens and young professionals through NCSY, Israel Free Spirit Birthright, Yachad and OU Press, among many other divisions and programs. For more information, visit https://www.ou.org/.

Since its founding in 1935, the Rabbinical Council of America has served as the leading membership organization of orthodox rabbis serving in North America and throughout the world. The RCA supports its members who serve as congregational rabbis; educators; military, prison, and health care chaplains; community organizational professionals; academicians; kashruth, youth, outreach, and beit din professionals, and more. The RCA serves as the voice of the organized orthodox rabbinate in religious, communal, and moral matters.

Yeshiva University is the world’s premier Jewish institution for higher education. Rooted in Jewish thought and tradition, it sits at the educational, spiritual and intellectual epicenter of a robust global movement that is dedicated to advancing the moral and material betterment of the Jewish community and broader society, in the service of God.