The 2026 Sacks Conversation
The Politics of Jew-Hatred: An Ambassador’s Reflection
November 2026
We warmly invite you to an evening of ideas, inspiration and engaging conversation
featuring the presentation of
The Jonathan Sacks Institute Prize
for Outstanding Achievement as a Public Intellectual
in memory of Samuel Gewurz z”l
to Prof. Deborah Lipstadt
To mark this special occasion, and to commemorate Rabbi Sacks’ sixth yahrzeit,
join us for this year's Sacks Conversation,
bringing together Prof. Deborah Lipstadt and Prof. Jonathan Rynhold,
Academic Director of the Jonathan Sacks Institute, who will discuss:
The Politics of Jew-Hatred: An Ambassador’s Reflection
Wohl Convention Center, Bar-Ilan University
9 November 2026 at 7.30pm
Featuring
Prof. Deborah Lipstadt
Prof. Deborah Lipstadt is the former United States Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism. Currently she is Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She has faced leading Holocaust-deniers and been vindicated in court. Prof. Lipstadt is the author of several other books on the Holocaust, including ‘The Eichmann Trial’ and ‘Antisemitism: Here and Now’.
Prof. Jonathan Rynhold
Prof. Jonathan Rynhold is the founder and Academic Director of the Jonathan Sacks Institute at Bar-Ilan University. He received his Ph.D. at the London School of Economics, and previously served as the head of the Political Studies department at Bar-Ilan University. His research focuses on U.S.-Israel relations as well as on Israeli politics and foreign policy. Prof. Rynhold has also been active in combatting BDS in academia.
Previous Sacks Conversations
Torah as Conversation
For the 2025 Sacks Conversation, we invited Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, (the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l) to sit in conversation with Daniel Taub. This event - in the presence of Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis - marked the launch of The Koren Sacks Humash. It was also a flagship event as we honoured the fifth yahrzeit of Rabbi Sacks.
The People of the Book
The 2024 Sacks Conversation was held at the National Library of Israel, commemorating the fourth yahrzeit and marking the dedication of the Rabbi Sacks Archive at the National Library of Israel. United States Ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew was in conversation with Rachel Sharansky Danziger.
An Interfaith Panel in Carnegie Hall
The Sacks Conversation 2023 event in Carnegie Hall in New York kept in mind the theme of To Heal A Fractured World. It showcased an interfaith panel with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Imam Abdullah Antepli, and Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, chaired by the President of Yale University.
President Isaac Herzog in conversation with Dr. Erica Brown
On 13 September 2022, the second annual Sacks Conversation took place at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem between President Isaac Herzog and Dr. Erica Brown, Director of the Sacks-Herenstein Center at Yeshiva University.
Tony Blair in conversation with Matthew d’Ancona
The Rt. Hon Tony Blair and Matthew d’Ancona launched the Sacks Conversation at Spencer House, London, on 11 October 2021. They discussed the continuing impact of Rabbi Sacks’ teachings and ideas on public policy and society today.