The former chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth, Lord Jonathan Sacks, has died aged 72 about a month after being diagnosed with cancer, a spokesman for his office has confirmed.
He died in the early hours of Saturday morning, the spokesman said.
Lord Sacks was a prolific writer and regularly contributed to radio and TV programmes such as BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. His fame reached well beyond the Jewish community in Britain and in 2016 Lord Sacks was awarded the “Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities”.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Elaine Taylor, their three children and several grandchildren.
A statement from Lord Sacks’ office on 15 October announced he had been “recently diagnosed with cancer” and was undergoing treatment.
Lord Sacks, an Orthodox Jew, was born in London on 8 March 1948.
In 1991 he became Britain’s chief rabbi – the spiritual head of the largest grouping of Orthodox Jewish communities in the UK. He was a profound supporter of building bridges between the Muslim and Jewish communities across Europe.
The message of the MJLC Co-chairman Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis:
“We are truly saddened to hear of the passing of our Associate Vice President, Rabbi Lord Sacks, as we come out of the Sabbath. Rabbi Sacks was a giant of World Jewry and will be truly missed. His scholarship and oratory skill were without parallel and he has been an inspiration to an entire generation, no matter their faith. We hope his memory will be a blessing to his family and all those who were influenced by him.”
