MIT World Speakers

Sir Jonathan Sacks

Sir Jonathan Sacks has been Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth since September 1, 1991. Prior to becoming Chief Rabbi, Sacks had been Principal of Jews' College, London, the world's oldest rabbinical seminary, as well as rabbi of the Golders Green and Marble Arch synagogues in London. He gained rabbinic ordination from Jews' College as well as from London's Yeshiva Etz Chaim.

Educated at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he obtained first class honours in Philosophy, he pursued postgraduate studies at New College, Oxford, and King’s College, London. Sacks has been Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex, Sherman Lecturer at Manchester University, Riddell Lecturer at Newcastle University, Cook Lecturer at the Universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and St. Andrews and Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He is currently Visiting Professor of Theology at Kings’ College London. He holds honorary doctorates from many universities. In September 2001, the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred on him a doctorate of Divinity in recognition of his first 10 years in the Chief Rabbinate.

In 1995, he received the Jerusalem Prize for his contribution to diaspora Jewish life. He was awarded a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in June 2005.