Moments with Rabbi Sacks show his impact on the world

As Jewish communities, prime ministers, presidents, princes, rabbis, and followers of many faiths grieve the loss of the past Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Lord Jonathan Sacks, who died last Shabbat (7 November 2020), South African Jews reflect on the impact he had on them and others, even in the most unexpected of places.

Anthony Spitz knew him for 30 years. “Wishing to contribute to Jewish life in London after emigrating from South Africa, I asked a friend for an introduction to the newly appointed chief rabbi. As a perfect illustration of the kindness and openness of Chief Rabbi Sacks, I found myself sitting at his breakfast table a few days later.

“During our discussion, he mentioned his admiration for the structures of the South African Jewish community. He was concerned about the future because of high intermarriage, and tried to create an organisation called Jewish Continuity, but it had not fulfilled his hopes.

“Talking about this, I explained how we had successfully merged the Israel United Appeal with the United Communal Fund in South Africa. His face immediately lit up – he made a mental connection between our merger and the possibility of a future merger between his Jewish Continuity and a larger Jewish entity. Some years later, such a merger took place, restructured as “Jewish Renewal” and I was invited to be part of it. From then on, I found myself spending many hours with him.

“He and Lady Elaine would have small dinner parties, and it wasn’t unusual to find oneself sitting next to the Catholic Archbishop of London, a cabinet minister across the table, and an assortment of lecturers, chief executives, and leaders.”

Spitz recalls how “in 1999, Gordon Brown announced that Britain would be selling off its gold. This sent tremors of fear through South Africa. The late Gerald Leissner, an integral part of Anglo American, asked if I could arrange a meeting with Rabbi Sacks and Bobby Godsell, then chairman of AngloGold Ashanti. He hoped that the chief rabbi could explain South Africa’s position to Brown, with whom he had a good relationship. The chief rabbi agreed, and asked if I could attend. I don’t know if his intervention was successful, but Britain only sold half of its stock of gold.”

When the centenary of the founding of the Great Synagogue in Wolmarans Street was being planned for September 2007, Rabbi Dovid Hazdan asked Spitz if he thought Rabbi Sacks would be willing to attend. “The chief rabbi immediately agreed. However, it was discovered that the foundation stone had in fact been laid only in September 1913, and sheepishly, I had to approach him again. I expected him to decline as it fell just one week before his retirement. But without hesitation, he accepted. His sermon at the Shabbat service in the Great Park Synagogue and his speech at the celebration of the centenary will be long remembered by the Johannesburg community.”

Spitz says “like everything else he did, Rabbi Sacks was a fastidious but conservative dresser. I took great pleasure in inviting him to New & Lingwood, where he would show boyish delight in choosing clothing for Rosh Hashanah. His favourite purchase every year would include a soft yellow tie that he said would brighten up the long services of the high holy days.”

African Jewish Congress Chief Executive Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft, known as “the travelling rabbi”, says, “I’ve always liked to distribute Rabbi Sacks’ books to religious leaders in sub-Saharan Africa. His 25 books aren’t only for Jews. He made the message of Torah and Judaism applicable to all. His ideas were visionary and accepted by every recipient, Jew and gentile alike.”

This can be seen in extraordinary tributes from far-flung places and religious leaders on Sacks’ passing. Dr Patrick Coleman of the Fellowship Chapel in Luanshya, Zambia, wrote, “Three years ago, Rabbi Silberhaft gave me a copy of Sacks’ book Not in G-d’s Name. I read it and gave copies to others. Over the years, I have shared many of his teachings with congregations in Zambia. His latest book, Morality, is a masterpiece, and has already been incorporated in my lesson plans.”

Pastor Kobus Jooste from Pretoria said, “Through his divine revelations and brilliant scriptural insight, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks broke down the boundaries of my own religious mindset.” While president of the Maputo Jewish community, Samuel Levy, said, “His weekly divrei Torah, and the family educational curriculum he authored, was the source material for so much of our Torah study and Hebrew school programming.”

Silberhaft says Sacks had a deep fondness for Africa and its Jewish communities, and in 2009, he hand wrote a message at an event they both attended. “To the Jewish communities of Africa: we salute you, we think of you, we admire you, and we ask G-d to bless you. May He be with you at all times, and may you be successful in all you do.”

South African business leader Johnny Copelyn has been travelling to London in September for many years, and attends services at the Western Marble Arch Synagogue for yom tov. “Rabbi Sacks always conducted the service with Rabbi Lionel Rosenfeld. For the hour or two between the Musaf and Neila services on Yom Kippur, the congregation would sit for a question-and-answer session with him.”

While some questions were unusual or controversial, “without a note or a moment of hesitation, he would offer the most erudite, informative, and non-judgemental responses, drawing on philosophical insights from Nietzsche to Plato to Jewish sages alike. Few could inspire such confidence in the all-embracing character of an ancient religion as he did.”

Cape Town businessman Ivan King recalls “about twelve years ago, Rabbi Sacks was travelling around South Africa and ending his trip with his first visit to Cape Town. My sister, Syma Weinberg, was his executive director for 20 years and asked if I would spend the morning with him, so we met him and his wife at the President Hotel.

“It was a Sunday morning, and we took him for a walk along the famous Sea Point promenade.” As a leader of interfaith work, “he was absolutely amazed at so many Jews and Muslims sharing the same space. Even though we passed many members of the Jewish community, no one recognised him! It was a privilege to walk along the promenade with the chief rabbi of the Commonwealth, and he had no security – he was just like anybody else.”

Rabbi Yossy Goldman became good friends with Sacks over the years. “We first met first in the early 1980s. I had started Torah Academy, and he was our guest one Shabbos morning. I still remember something he said, “What’s the difference between a rabbi and the Rebbe? When a rabbi speaks, everyone thinks they mean someone else. But when the Rebbe speaks, everyone thinks he is speaking directly to them.”

Goldman says Sacks had a “warm relationship with many people in South Africa and South African Jewry as a whole”.

Sacks once joined a meeting when Goldman was chair of the South African Rabbinical Association. “I remember he asked, ‘What is the question most frequently asked of rabbis?’ Everyone shared their opinions, but couldn’t guess. He eventually said it was ‘Rabbi, do you remember me?’

“In other words, he had the common touch. He was a man of Torah, but also a man of the world, and the single most articulate ambassador of Judaism and the Jewish people. No one is indispensable, but he is one person not easily replaceable. It’s a devastating and monumental loss.”