In his series of lectures, Sacks states that neither the state nor the market, the two dominant institutions in liberal democracies, are society-creating forces. They do not sustain relationships or provide a framework for meaning, identity, or community. Therefore, according to Sacks, religion survives and will grow stronger over the twenty-first century, contrary to popular opinion. He asks, ‘how can we ensure that is does not bring religious conflicts from the past?’
Jonathan Henry Sacks was born on 8 March 1948 in London. An international religious leader, he was awarded the 2016 Templeton Prize in recognition of his ‘exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension’. Appointed Rabbi for the Golders Green Synagogue in London in 1978, he moved to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in 1983 and served as Principal of the London School of Jewish Studies from 1984 to 1990. On 1 September 1991, he was inducted as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, stepping down in 2013.
Sacks also held professorships at New York University, Yeshiva University, and King’s College London. Awarded the Jerusalem Prize in 1995, he was knighted in 2005 and invited to join the House of Lords in 2009. Winner of two National Jewish Book Awards, his works include Traditional Alternatives (1989), Orthodoxy Confronts Modernity (1991), Crisis and Covenant (1992), Torah Studies (1996), To Heal a Fractured World (2005), The Persistence of Faith (2005), The Home We Build Together (2007), Exodus: The Book of Redemption (2010), and The Great Partnership (2011).
