The Fellowship is made up of a select cohort of inquisitive and aspirational young people who want to discuss the biggest questions in Jewish thought and strive to lead a meaningful Jewish life. They will be taught by expert educators from the UK and abroad, including Rabbi Sacks’ closest students.
The Fellowship was launched in 2022, in response to LSJS’ quest to best preserve Rabbi Sacks’ legacy. They decided to update and reimagine a course devised by Rabbi Sacks in 1978, with the aim of introducing the main themes and challenges of Jewish faith, practice, theology and philosophy. Using this as a basis, they designed a one-year programme that navigates honest engagement with Jewish thought, teachings and wisdom combined with approaching contemporary challenges.
The programme brings together a prestigious cohort of young professionals who spend the year exploring key themes in Jewish thought, as well as Rabbi Sacks’ teachings, with an emphasis on their relevance and application, and how they can influence our lives.
“Each year, we are overwhelmed by the thirst for Jewish learning displayed by our fellows. If you are thoughtful, open-minded, and looking for structured learning with meaningful and authentic responses, this fellowship is for you,” said Michael Rainsbury, LSJS’ Head of Adult Education.
Participants on the programme are also expected to undertake a project of their choosing, to share their learning with others through diverse mediums and ideas, with this year’s projects including a Rabbi Sacks community Shabbaton in Mill Hill East and a scholarly lecture on Rabbi Sacks’ approach to Haggada.
Fellows’ projects over the last three years have made a huge impact on the community and have included a rabbinical conference on Climate Change and Jewish law, a community Shabbaton dedicated to exploring Rabbi Sacks’ thought, scholarly articles and op-eds and local peer Jewish learning groups.
“The Fellowship provides a platform for a year-long engagement with the cutting-edge Jewish questions of the day, based on Rabbi Sacks' philosophical approaches. Bringing together like-minded young professionals energises this endeavor, transforming it from an
individual pursuit of knowledge to a shared learning experience”, said current participant Rafi Kleiman, Assistant Head of Informal Jewish Education at Yavneh College. “My project is based on bringing Rabbi Sacks' ideas in 'Community of Faith' into Youth Directors’ practice, which is being done as a written resource.”
“Our Fellowship programme does not aim to only teach Rabbi Sacks’ ideas, but instead aims to foster individuals who think, learn and speak Torah in a way that reflects Rabbi Sacks’ unique worldview”, said Joanne Greenaway, Chief Executive of LSJS.
For applications, please contact joel.ucko@lsjs.ac.uk
Above is a photo of the current group of Rabbi Sacks Fellows with LSJS staff; Joanne Greenaway, Rabbi Dr Zarum and Michael Rainsbury.
