Lord Rowan Williams Delivers 2025 Rabbi Sacks Memorial Lecture

On 11th March 2025, the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Annual Memorial Lecture was held at King’s College London.

Addressing Rabbi Sacks’ vision for building a better society, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Rowan Williams, reflected: “Working this out in the world of 2025 is a matter of all sorts of extremely painful dilemmas – as we witness the resurgence of antisemitic rhetoric and activity, within the nightmare cycle of violence that has been so much more deeply entrenched, with the butchery of October 7.”

He added that “The desperate plight of the hostages is a bitterly vivid symbol of the way that so many lives – Jewish and non-Jewish – are held hostage by a climate of terror.”

A close personal friend and colleague of Rabbi Sacks, Lord Williams spoke movingly of the late Chief Rabbi as he navigated Biblical, ancient, and contemporary Rabbinic texts to explore how Rabbi Sacks might have approached the profound challenges of our time. 

The Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Annual Memorial Lecture addresses society’s most pressing challenges, sparks meaningful discussions on ethics and public policy, and engages audiences with the ideas Rabbi Sacks championed as a global moral leader – ideas that continue to resonate today.

Ahead of the lecture, Lord Williams remarked: “Jonathan Sacks’ groundbreaking meditations on how we mend our social brokenness, drawing deeply on the basic reality of covenant with God and one another, converge with some important strands in modern European thinking about solidarity. A durable community needs more than general fellow-feeling; it requires the sense of a common project. This lecture, in tribute to Jonathan Sacks, will reflect on how we make the transition from what can be a sentimental feeling of common identity to an active sharing of labour in the construction of new possibilities for our living together.”

Stuart Roden, a trustee of The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, commented: “The Annual Memorial Lecture continues to pay tribute to Rabbi Sacks, who had a unique ability to convey Jewish teachings and texts in a way that resonated with people of all backgrounds and faiths, drawing on our shared humanity as a foundation for a better society and future.”

Lady Elaine Sacks added: “This year’s memorial lecture in memory of my late husband was a testament to his enduring impact even beyond the Jewish community.”

Gila Sacks, Rabbi Sacks’ youngest daughter, closed the evening by saying: “Together, Lord Williams and Rabbi Sacks role modelled partnership for the public good, enhancing the place of faith in the public square, raising the tone of public debate, and challenging us to step up and take on the challenges facing our communities today. That call to action continued powerfully with Lord Williams’ message this evening.”

_{(Photos: Yossi Abrams)}