Robert Putnam Awarded Bar-Ilan’s Sacks Institute Prize

The inaugural Jonathan Sacks Institute Prize has been awarded to Professor Robert D. Putnam, Emeritus Professor at Harvard University, at a moving ceremony at Bar-Ilan University.

Prof. Putnam – one of the world’s most influential social scientists – was recognised for his lifelong contribution to strengthening community, democracy, and moral discourse, values so central to the work of Rabbi Sacks.

The award, established by the Gewurz family in memory of Samuel Gewurz z”l, celebrates public intellectuals whose work reflects and amplifies Rabbi Sacks’ vision.

Rabbi Sacks interviewed Prof. Putnam for his BBC Rosh Hashanah programme, which was broadcast nationally in September 2011, and again in 2018 for his podcast series “Morality in the 21st Century”. Prof. Putnam’s seminal works were frequently cited in Rabbi Sacks’ own writings.

The event was chaired by Sacks Scholar Dr. Miriam Feldmann-Kaye, and was addressed by Ambassador Daniel Taub, Chair of The Rabbi Sacks Legacy in Israel, as well as Prof. Jonathan Rynhold, Academic Director of the Jonathan Sacks Institute, and Prof. Arie Zaban, President of Bar-Ilan University.

The Jonathan Sacks Institute at Bar-Ilan University advances the legacy of Rabbi Sacks through research, education, and leadership rooted in his moral and intellectual vision.

Photos: Shlomi Mizrahi