David Cameron, The Right Honourable The Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton PC (Former British Prime Minister)
I'm sorry I can't be with you today, but on behalf of the whole country, I want to say a very special thank you for 22 years of incredible service as Chief Rabbi. When you were in Downing Street a few weeks ago, I introduced you to Prime Minister Netanyahu, and without thinking, I described you as my Rabbi. It was a symbol of the impact that you've had on this country, far beyond the Jewish community.
Because over the past two decades, you have been not just a leader for Jewish people, but for all of us. You've challenged us to stand up for the place of religion in modern society. You've promoted the importance of ethics and responsibility, providing not just a religious voice, but frankly a moral voice in our country too.
And you've played a huge part in improving interfaith relations, teaching the dignity of difference and the power of what faith communities can achieve when they work together. For me personally, your book, The Home We Build Together, had a significant influence on my own mission to build a bigger and stronger society, right here in Britain, something that I believe can transcend the divide of party politics. So thank you for the very special contribution you've made to the Jewish community and to our whole country.
The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols (Former Archbishop of Westminster)
I particularly appreciate the Chief Rabbi's identification of covenantal relationships between us, which are so creative and are so different from political relationships and economical market relationships. And it's that area of covenantal agreement and cooperation between us for the common good which is so important and which will be part of his lasting legacy. Lord Sacks, we thank you for so much that you have done, but especially in this area of interfaith relations and your relationships with the Catholic Church.
Thank you very much indeed.
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown (Former British Prime Minister)
So how do you sum up someone who is the greatest scholar you know, the greatest philosopher you know, the greatest writer you know, one of the greatest thinkers in the world? It's this, that he was always and has always been ahead of his time. He saw that there had to be somewhere between markets and state with his politics of hope long before anybody else did.
He saw there had to be a response to 9-11 and he did so with great eloquence in his book. He saw that the ethics of markets were an issue long before the financial crisis and he saw that we had to answer these great debates about science and religion and has led the way in doing so. But the one thing in addition to that is he always told me, he gave me this great advice, you can only get your views across and explain what you're doing by telling stories and he's also one of the greatest storytellers I've ever met.
The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Lord Carey of Clifton (Former Archbishop of Canterbury)
You have been an amazing intellectual communicator and a unifier. In these three dimensions of your work you have been simply outstanding and I want to thank you for the way you've been able to combine a generosity of spirit with your commitment to orthodox Judaism.
The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH (Former British Prime Minister)
I'm so sorry that I'm not able to be with you this evening for what sounds like a very special event.
Certainly I think it's a very justified one for the enormous contribution you've made for more than 20 years to public life in the UK and of course predominantly to your own faith. Over that time you and Elaine have become an established part of the lives of very many people. What you've done over that period I think has been very profound.
Many people have benefited from it and very few people will forget the enormous contribution that you have made. I don't only of course refer to your public life but also to many private kindnesses and to your remarkable output in books. As a student of your books over many years you've absorbed more hours of my time than I can possibly remember but they've been hours very well spent in my judgement.
So thank you very much for all you've done for our country and for your faith. Whatever you may do in the future, and it's hard to think you will be retired in the accepted sense of the word, but whatever you and Elaine do in the future I wish you every happiness and every success. Do have a truly wonderful evening.
The Rt Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Williams of Oystermouth (former Archbishop of Canterbury)
You've been of course, as everybody will tell you, a national treasure in your time as chief rabbi. But you've been a treasure very particularly to the faith communities, not least to our church, not only in England also but worldwide. I think whenever people ask who are the influential public intellectuals in this country usually the first name they come up with from the religious communities has been Jonathan Sacks and I think that's a tremendous tribute to him, to the Jewish community as well, to the way in which that community has nurtured and supported an intellect of this quality and has worked itself into the mainstream of British social and political thinking, has provided a kind of moral point of reference.
I think that's one of the things he'll be most remembered for, that he put that particular kind of religious perspective firmly on the map in terms of the public intellectual life of this country.
The most Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Justin Welby (Former Archbishop of Canterbury)
I simply am lost for words as to how to express the enormous work that you've done in this country over the years, the phenomenal contribution you've made to our public life and particularly as I've said to articulating a positive place for faith in public life and you've done that so consistently, so generously, so graciously and so warmly over the years. We will miss you very much indeed.
The Rt Hon Tony Blair (Former British Prime Minister)
It's an absolute honour to pay tribute to Jonathan Sacks, Lord Sacks, on the occasion of celebrating 22 years as the Chief Rabbi. I remember when I was Prime Minister once having a conversation with Jonathan, in which I'd been going through rather a difficult time as party leader, and I was saying to him that it's very difficult when you're trying to lead an organisation with many different sects and factions and everyone's always criticising you and people are battering you from every direction. And I noticed as I was continuing there was something slightly lacking in the sympathy that he was giving me. And I suddenly realised that probably as the head of British Jewry he understood all too well what the challenges of leadership were. Having said that, he exercised that leadership with the most extraordinary skill and dedication and commitment.
He's an intellectual giant, he's somebody who writes books that ordinary laypeople like myself can understand and like and learn from, and he's somebody who over those 22 years has made an extraordinary, outstanding contribution not just to British and international Jewry, but to British and international public life.
I would like to thank you, Jonathan, on behalf of all of us for what you have done not just for your own community but for the whole community of the United Kingdom. To thank you for that service and to say to you, we hope you will continue in a different way to give that service for many years to come because you are a very, very rare thing.
Someone who combines huge intellectual gifts, immense human compassion and extraordinary ability and for all of that tonight we honour you and we thank you.
