Biography
Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks (born 8 March 1948 – 7 November 2020) was an Anglican Orthodox clergyman, philosopher, theologian, author and broadcaster better known as Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks.
He served as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013 and was a life peer of the House of Lords from 2009 until his death.
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks was born into a Jewish family in London on 8 March 1948, the son of Ann (née Simons) and Bernard Sacks. He was educated at St Paul’s School, London, and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he gained a first-class honours degree in philosophy. He then studied at New College, Oxford and King’s College London, where he was awarded his PhD in 1981.
Former Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks |
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 Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks: History ‧ Biography ‧ Photos |
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| Wiki Events & About Data | |
| Full name: | Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks |
| Stage name: | Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks |
| Born: | March 8, 1948 (age 72) |
| Place of birth: | London, United Kingdom |
| Nationality: | English |
| Height: | Do not have |
| Parents: | Louisa Frumkin and Louis David Sacks |
| Siblings: | Brian Sacks, Alan Sacks, Eliot Sacks |
| Wife • Husband/wife: | Elaine Taylor Sacks (married 1970) |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Do not have |
| The children: | Joshua Sacks, Gila Sacks, Dina Sacks |
| Job: | Author • Jewish Priest |
| Net worth: | 1.5 million US dollars |
Early life and education
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks was born in the London borough of Lambeth on 8 March 1948. He is the son of Englishwoman Louisa (née Frumkin; 1919–2010), a prominent Jewish wine merchant, and Polish textile businessman Louis David Sacks (who died in 1996).
He has three brothers named Brian Sacks, Alan Sacks and Eliot Sacks, who later emigrated to Israel. He revealed that his father did not have “much of a Jewish education”.
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks began his formal education at Christ’s College in Finchley and St. Mary’s Primary School. He completed his undergraduate education at Gonville & Caius College in Cambridge, where he achieved a first-class honours (MA) degree in philosophy.
He visited New York City while still a Cambridge student. He met with Rabbis Menachem Mendel Schneerson and Joseph B. Soloveitchik to discuss a range of philosophical, religious, and theological topics. “Rabbi Soloveitchik challenged me to think; Rabbi Schneerson challenged me to lead,” he revealed.
Chneerson persuaded Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks, to become a rabbi and seek ordination. Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks, pursued postgraduate studies at King’s College London and New College, Oxford, eventually earning his PhD from the University of London in 1982. He was ordained as a rabbi by the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in London and the London School of Jewish Studies.
Personal life
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks married Elaine Taylor Sacks in 1970 and they had three children: Joshua Sacks, Gila Sacks and Dina Sacks.
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2015 and died on November 7, 2020, at the age of 72.
Career
From 1978 to 1982, Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks served as rabbi of the London Synagogue in Golders Green. He was appointed rabbi of the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in Central London in 1983 and served in that capacity until 1990.
He also served as Rector of Hebrew College, the rabbinical academy of the United Synagogue, from 1984 to 1990. On 1 September 1991, Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks was ordained as Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogue of the Commonwealth, a position he held until 1 September 2013.
In the 2005 Birthday Honours, Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks was knighted “for services to Community and Interfaith Relations”. In September 2006, the London Borough of Barnet declared him an honorary Freeman.
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks was nominated as a life peer with a seat in the House of Lords, the House of Lords Appointments Committee announced on 13 July 2009. As an independent MP, he took the style “Baron Sacks of Aldgate in the City of London”.
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks holds 16 honorary degrees, including a doctorate in divinity awarded to him in September 2001 by the then Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey to commemorate his first ten years as Chief Rabbi.
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks has also been a visiting professor at numerous universities in the UK, the US and Israel. For his contributions to Jewish life abroad, he received the Jerusalem Prize in 1995. In 2011, Ben Gurion University in Israel awarded him the Ladislaus Laszt Ecumenical and Social Concern Prize.
Net worth
According to sources, before leaving this world, Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks was said to have a net worth of $1.5 million.
