Rambam Health Care Campus mourns the loss of 2015 Rambam Award recipient Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Z"L, who passed away a few days ago.

Born in London in 1945, Rabbi Sacks was drawn to the study of philosophy, and earned an Honours Degree in Philosophy at Gonville & Caius College in Cambridge. The desire for a deeper exploration of faith and religion led Rabbi Sacks to New York to meet the Lubavitcher Rabbi.

After serving as the rabbi for two major London synagogues, Rabbi Sacks was inducted to serve as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth in 1991, a position he held until  September 1, 2013. In 2005, Rabbi Sacks was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and subsequently made a Life Peer, taking his seat in the House of Lords in October 2009.

Through his extensive teachings, writings, public speaking and media appearances, Rabbi Sacks continued to engage a broad audience on issues of Jewish philosophy and ethics. As an educator, Rabbi Sacks held professorial positions at universities in the UK, Israel and the United States. He was given 16 honorary degrees, including a Doctor of Divinity by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Rabbi Sacks also received many awards, such as the Jerusalem Prize and numerous literary awards, including two National Jewish Book Awards.

​Rabbi Sacks was a global religious leader, philosopher, author, and, most importantly, a moral voice for our time who embodied meaningful and ethical Judaism. We are thankful to have known him.