$$News and Reports$$

Mar. 13, 2011
 

BGU has conferred the Ladislaus Laszt Ecumenical and Social Concern Award to Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth of Great Britain Lord Sacks in recognition of his exceptional work as "a widely-published theologian and philosopher whose aspirations for truth and mutual respect of all peoples guide his actions."

Awarded for the first time in 1985, the Award "acknowledges and rewards people whose deeds reflect tolerance, hope and vision – those aspects so essential to the survival of the human race." According to the representative of the family Prof. Emeritus Moshe Dariel, Chief Rabbi Sacks is an "outstanding example of someone who turns his faith into action."

University President Prof. Rivka Carmi welcomed Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks noting that it was only appropriate to honor such a distinguished British guest, particularly since it was David Ben-Gurion who envisioned an "Oxford at Yavne" that would serve as a "beacon to the world."

Harold Paisner, the President of the Ben-Gurion University Foundation in London, saluted Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks for his perennial optimism who is a "true beacon of hope who brilliantly advances Jewish values to the wider community," adding that he is a "gift to the Anglo-Jewish community and British society as a whole."

Speaking on behalf of the Laszt family, Prof. Emeritus Moshe Dariel commended Chief Rabbi Sacks as an "outstanding example of someone who turns his faith into action."

In a riveting speech titled "The Challenge of Religious Difference in a Desecularizing Age," Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks declared that "there is no such thing as a post-secular age," explaining that since Alexis de Tocqueville's seminal work Democracy in America, written in 1831,   "intellectuals" have been sure that enlightenment and democracy would spell the end of religion. He traced the success of western civilization to the revolutionary strength of religion, particularly monotheism and its inherent separation of powers. "Abraham is not the Kohen Hagadol," he pointed out, explaining that "in Judaism, the only real power is the king of kings and not the pharaoh or other leader who ruled as a god." He discussed the current unrest in the Middle East in the context of religion and its relationship to power. "For every Jew in the world there are 100 Muslims and 183 Christians, few things will matter more than our relationship with Christianity and Islam, and that in turn will depend on our relation with Judaism.

"The good news is that whether it is the first challenge, making space for difference, the second challenge separating religion from power, we come with long experience, long and successful experience.  We did learn to separate religion from power (the state of Israel has temporarily unlearnt it but we'll get over that.) Secondly we never attempted to convert or conquer the world, and thirdly we long recognized the wisdom of traditions other than our own. And I am proud to be a member of a religion whose sages coined a blessing for the sages of the nations of the world, people who disagreed with us totally but still recognized the wisdom of a great scholar that is a great religion. "… I thank you for the award, I thank you for all Ben-Gurion University does, may it continue to bring blessings to medina Israel, may it continue to bring pride to am Israel, to Jews throughout the world, may it be god's will that his presence lives in all you do.

Jonathan Sacks has been Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth since September 1991. Prior to taking up his current post, Rabbi Sacks was Principal of Jews' College, as well as rabbi of the Golders Green and Marble Arch synagogues. The Chief Rabbi has been a visiting professor at several universities in Britain, the United States and Israel, and is currently Visiting Professor of Theology at Kings’ College London. He holds many honorary degrees, including a Doctor of Divinity conferred to mark his first ten years in office, by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He received the Jerusalem Prize 1995 for his contribution to Diaspora Jewish life, and was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 2005.  He was made a Life Peer and took his seat in the House of Lords on 27th October 2009, where he sits on the cross benches as Baron Sacks of Aldgate in the City of London. 

While at BGU, the Chief Rabbi also participated in a seminar on "Pluralism and Normativity in the Jewish Experience," with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin and Prof. Alice Shalvi, which was moderated by Israel Prize laureate Prof. Yaakov Blidstein. 

The Ladislaus Laszt Ecumenical and Social Concern Award was created by Prof. Ladislaus Laszt and his wife Nelly from Switzerland. The Award is bestowed by Ben-Gurion University on a religious personality of international repute, or on a person or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to society.  Former recipients include the 14th Dalia Lama; Father Patrick Desbois; the Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggan; and Cardinal Roger Etchegaray. 

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Sacks1.jpgAbove from left to right: BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth of Great Britain Lord Jonathan Sacks, Prof. Moshe Dariel