Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum to hold inaugural Rabbi Sacks Chair at LSJS

LSJS has had a deep connection with Rabbi Sacks zt”l spanning over 40 years, as he progressed from student to lecturer and then Principal and President. Following his term as Chief Rabbi he became the Honorary President of LSJS. This long-standing association gives us deep honour and pride to create this new Chair, to continue to recognise his contribution to contemporary Jewish thought and further his teachings.

LSJS is delighted to announce that Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, Dean of LSJS and a devoted student of Rabbi Sacks who benefited from his mentoring, will become the first Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought. This exciting new role will give Rabbi Dr. Zarum the opportunity to teach, write and publicly amplify much of the teachings of one of our generation’s greatest Rabbis.

On being made the Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought, Rabbi Dr. Zarum said, “it is the honour of my life to spread the teachings of Rabbi Sacks, may his memory be a blessing, and to take the opportunity of this new appointment to focus further on teaching, writing and sharing in this wonderful tradition of ours.”

LSJS is very grateful to the Zandan family, from Santa Fe, USA, for establishing this new position. The Zandans enthusiastically support the work, writings, contributions and thoughtfulness of Rabbi Sacks. “We very much want to keep Rabbi Sacks’ work and impact growing through our support of LSJS and the work of Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum - a leader who will represent, communicate and build on the work of Rabbi Sacks for future generations,” said Peter Zandan, PhD.

Lady Elaine Sacks said, “At LSJS, Rabbi Dr. Zarum has been a colleague and student of my dear husband for more years than I can remember. He is an old and dear friend and is the perfect choice for this Rabbi Sacks Chair of modern Jewish Thought. Thank you, Raphael, for accepting this chair in memory of my husband, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.”

Joanne Greenaway, LSJS Chief Executive said, “we at LSJS are honoured to be continuing the legacy of a Torah giant who played such a pivotal role in the development of our institution and our outlook. I am excited for this opportunity for Rabbi Dr. Zarum to amplify Rabbi Sacks’ teachings and take them to new audiences. I would like to thank our friends at The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust for their support, and we look forward to working closely with them.”

As Rabbi Dr. Zarum takes on this new position, LSJS has welcomed Michael Rainsbury as the new Head of Adult Education. Michael is already very familiar with LSJS, have completed his MA Jewish Education and trained to be a teacher here. His vast experience, as both a formal and informal educator in the UK and Israel, make him perfectly placed to build on the growing international learning community at LSJS. Michael’s previous roles as Associate Director at Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi, National Director of Bnei Akiva, tour guide for JRoots, as well as a teacher at King Solomon school, mean that he has plenty of exciting new approaches to bring to the adult education programme.

To find out more about the Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought, or about LSJS courses and events, please call LSJS directly on 0044 208 203 6427, visit https://www.lsjs.ac.uk/covenant-and-continuity-new-interpretations-of-rabbi-sackss-weekly-shiur-1606.php, or email [email protected].