Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks
A rabbi who used moral philosophy and public voice to argue for faith's place in a fractured modern world, reaching far beyond his own community.
1948–2020 (age 72)·British Orthodox rabbi and politician·Birthday: March 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jonathan Sacks emerged from a London childhood to become an intellectual force who reshaped the role of a chief rabbi. Taking the helm of the United Hebrew Congregations in 1991, he transformed the position from an internal communal leader into a public theologian for the British nation and a global audience. His prolific writing, from 'The Dignity of Difference' to 'Not in God's Name', grappled with the tensions between particular religious identity and universal ethics, making the case for a society built on respectful disagreement. Sacks became a familiar voice on the BBC's 'Thought for the Day' and in the House of Lords, engaging directly with political and social issues. His legacy is that of a bridge-builder who insisted that religious tradition held essential wisdom for contemporary crises of loneliness, extremism, and moral confusion, speaking with a clarity that commanded attention from believers and skeptics alike.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jonathan was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jonathan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Jonathan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2020Died at 72
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Served as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth for 22 years, from 1991 to 2013.
- Authored over 30 books on philosophy, religion, and ethics, many of which became international bestsellers.
- Was appointed a life peer in the UK's House of Lords in 2009, taking the title Baron Sacks of Aldgate.
- Received the Templeton Prize in 2016 for his work affirming life's spiritual dimension.
Did You Know?
He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005, becoming Sir Jonathan Sacks before his elevation to the Lords.
He earned a PhD in philosophy from the University of London, with a thesis on moral responsibility.
Early in his career, he was the principal of Jews' College, now the London School of Jewish Studies.
He was a frequent guest on the BBC Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day' segment for decades.
“The Hebrew word for holy, kadosh, means to be different, set apart. God is holy because He is different. To be holy is to be different.”
