The Rabbi Sacks Legacy
@rabbisacks
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Perpetuating the timeless and universal wisdom of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks as a teacher of Torah, a leader of leaders and a moral voice.
London, UK
Joined November 2010
Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet. It with the deepest sadness that we regret to inform you that Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (HaRav Ya’akov Zvi ben David Arieh z’’l) passed away early this morning, Saturday 7th November 2020 (Shabbat Kodesh 20th MarCheshvan 5781).
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(1/7) As a human being who believes in the sanctity of human life, I am deeply troubled by what is happening to the Uighur Muslim population in China.
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Attached is a statement from the Office of Rabbi Sacks. A text version can be read on the thread below.
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Today is International #Holocaust Memorial Day. What is #antisemitism? And why should its return be cause for grave concern not just for #Jews but for all of us? Watch this to find out. #HMD2019 #HolocaustMemorialDay #NeverAgain #NeverForget #WeRemember
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"My Lords, it pains me to speak about antisemitism, the world’s oldest hatred. But I cannot keep silent." Here is my speech from today's debate in the House of Lords about #antisemitism in Britain.
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Together with others in the UK & around the world I will be suspending my social media activity for 48 hours from 9am tomorrow. I urge social media companies to take more responsibility for hate speech on their platforms. @jack @Twitter @instagram @Facebook #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate.
Joining thousands of others we will be suspending our social media activity for 48 hours from 9am tomorrow morning. Social Media companies must take responsibility for their platforms. @jack @twitter @instagram @facebook #NoSafeSpaceforJewHate
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Evil happens when people let it happen, and our best defence against it is never to forget where evil leads. That is why it is so important to commemorate #HolocaustMemorialDay and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of @AuschwitzMemorial on 27th January. #WeRemember #HMD2020
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(7/7) Today, this is happening to the Uighar population in China and it must be challenged by the global community in the strongest possible terms.
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(2/7) As a Jew, knowing our history, the sight of people being shaven headed, lined up, boarded onto trains, and sent to concentration camps is particularly harrowing.
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(3/7) That people in the 21st century are being murdered, terrorised, victimised, intimidated and robbed of their liberties because of the way they worship God is a moral outrage, a political scandal and a desecration of faith itself.
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Mazal tov to my wonderful grandson Elisha and all the family on his Bar Mitzvah this weekend. A special and and proud moment. Together with Elaine, I wish you all Shabbat Shalom. Stay safe and be well.
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As we mark #HolocaustMemorialDay on 27/01, here is a clip on the dangers of #antisemitism, delivered to the @Europarl_EN in September 2016. I still consider this to be one of the most important speeches I have ever made. Please retweet. #NeverForget #HMD2019 #WeRemember
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(6/7) Threat becomes fear, fear becomes hate, and hate becomes dehumanisation. The Nazis called Jews vermin and lice. The Hutus of Rwanda called the Tutsis inyenzi, or cockroaches. When the world allows the dehumanisation of the Other, evil follows, as night follows day.
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(4/7) The worldwide implementation of Article 18 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights – the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion – remains one of the great challenges of our time.
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Even more than the strength to win, we need the courage to try, the willingness to fail, the readiness to learn and the faith to persist. @TeamSpaceIL may have ended up a few kilometres short of bringing #IsraelToTheMoon but we are so proud of their effort. #SmallCountryBigDreams
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Rabbi Sacks z’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book 'Lessons in Leadership'. The Office of Rabbi Sacks will carry on distributing these essays, so that people around the world can continue to learn and be inspired by his Torah.
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Here is HRH The Prince of Wales (@ClarenceHouse) with his reflections on Rabbi Sacks zt"l.
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Remembering Rabbi Sacks zt"l on the fourth anniversary of his passing. May his memory be a blessing.
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Wherever you are in the world, whether you are alone in isolation, with your family, I wish you a Shabbat shalom, especially this Shabbat. To those affected, I wish you a speedy and complete refuah sheleima. This Shabbat we are truly am echad b’lev echad. One people. One soul.
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(5/7) This right is too often lost when one group within a society, usually the dominant group, sees another group as a threat to its freedom and its own dominance, or when there is a struggle between the will to power and the will to life.
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As #Israel faces yet another attack from Gaza, over 300 rockets & shells fired in the past 5 hours, our thoughts & prayers are with the brave men & women of the #IDF & the people of Israel. Am echad b’lev echad, we are one people with one heart. Am Yisrael Chai. #IsraelUnderFire.
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1/ The deadly attack inside a synagogue earlier today in #Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has pierced the heart of Jewish communities worldwide. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones – may they be comforted among all the other mourners of Zion.
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"הרב זקס הפך את העולם למקום טוב יותר.". מנהיגים, הוגים, ואמנים מכל קצות הקשת של החברה הישראלית נזכרים ומספרים על חייו ואישיותו מעוררי ההשראה של הרב יונתן זקס זצ"ל. יהי זכרו ברוך.
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Earlier today, I spoke in a @UKHouseofLords debate on worldwide #antisemitism. Here is a video of my remarks in which I argued that a society, or a political party, that tolerates antisemitism or any form of hate, has forfeited all moral credibility.
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Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the multiple and shocking stabbings in Monsey, New York, the most serious of a number of antisemitic incidents during Chanukah this year.
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We must continue to remember, not for the sake of the past, but for the sake of the future. #HolocaustMemorialDay #NeverAgain #WeRemember
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Jews are the people who refused to be comforted because they never gave up hope. Jacob did eventually see Joseph again. Rachel’s children did return to the land. Jerusalem is once again the Jewish home.
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I spend a lot of time with young people who often ask me for advice as they begin their journey into the future. So here are five ideas worth thinking about as we begin our journey into #2019.
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#YomHashoah, when we remember the 6 million lost in the #Holocaust, begins tonight. At a time of rising levels of #antisemitism around the world, it has never been more important to urge the world to #neverforget and to commit itself to #neveragain allow such horrors to occur.
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Some 50,000 soldiers serving in the #IDF are receiving a booklet containing a chapter from one of Rabbi Sacks’ books on what made him proud to be a Jew and what it is about Judaism that makes it so unique. Find out more at
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"What would my father have said to us if he was here?". Watch the powerful reflections of Gila Sacks, Rabbi Sacks' youngest daughter, delivered during the Sacks Conversation at Carnegie Hall in New York on 31 October.
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ICYMI: Antisemitism become dangerous when it moves from the fringes of politics to a mainstream party & its leadership; when the party sees that its popularity with the public is not harmed thereby; & when those who stand up & protest are vilified & abused for doing so. #Panorama.
"My Lords, it pains me to speak about antisemitism, the world’s oldest hatred. But I cannot keep silent." Here is my speech from today's debate in the House of Lords about #antisemitism in Britain.
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As we mark #HMD2019 we say to the 6M souls of our people: we'll never forget you, we'll never cease to mourn you, we'll not let you down, until Jews can walk the world without fear, witnesses against those who choose death, to the God of life who told us: Choose life. #WeRemember
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Thank you @RachelRileyRR for speaking out so powerfully and bravely on the issue of #antisemitism.
For the final word on this thread, I leave it Rabbi Lord Sacks from the House of Commons debate in Antisemitism in September. The haters are loud #BeLouder ❤️.
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This is now a global phenomenon and demands a global response – not just from Jews but from everyone who values liberty, tolerance, coexistence, and the equal rights of all citizens in a free society to live and practice their faith in freedom and safety.
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It is with deep sadness that we share in the pain of Hadas Hershkovitz on the passing of her husband, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Yossi Hershkovitz, who fell in battle in Gaza. May his memory be for a blessing.
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Thank you for the outpouring of love for Rabbi Sacks & for keeping him in your prayers. We were deeply moved to hear about today’s day of learning & tefillah devoted to his refuah by @YUNews, @OrthodoxUnion, @RCArabbinical & others. Anyone who wishes is welcome to participate.
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(1/2) Unfortunately the family are unable to see people in person in the usual way during the Shiva period. We would therefore encourage anyone who wishes to share messages of comfort, stories, video reflections, or photographs to do so by sending them to tributes@rabbisacks.org.
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"I welcome today’s decision by the United States to recognise as the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, whose name means “city of peace.” This recognition is an essential element in any lasting peace in the region.” Full statement:
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Never believe that a handful of dedicated people can’t change the world. Inspired by faith, they can. The Maccabees did then. So can we today. #Chanukah #8Thoughts8Nights #ChagSameach
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(1/2) The levaya (funeral) for HaRav Ya’akov Zvi ben David Arieh z’l, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, will take place this afternoon in line with current UK Government COVID guidelines.
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Here is a link to videos of the hespeidim (eulogies) delivered at the levaya (funeral) of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, HaRav Ya’akov Zvi ben David Arieh z”l, which took place in London yesterday.
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"This is the heartbeat of the Jewish people.". Yom Yerushalayim Sameach, Happy Jerusalem Day! 🇮🇱. #YomYerushalayim #Jerusalem
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"He answered without writing a single word.". Tonight marks the 30th yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Rabbi Sacks spoke of his relationship with the Rebbe, with whom he consulted at pivotal points in his life for guidance on his path forward.
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This #Shabbat I encourage you to #ShowUpForShabbat by attending your synagogue so that we can stand with the #Pittsburgh Jewish community and show those who may wish to cause us harm that, despite the tragic loss of life, #AmYisraelChai, the Jewish people lives. #ShabbatShalom
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Mazaltov, mazaltov! Wonderful news. May your new son bring you as much pride as you have given us all.
Our baby boy arrived yesterday - Alistair, Amélie & I are brimming with happiness. 👶✨🌈 💙. A massive thank you to the fantastic team @LiverpoolWomens for looking after us both with so much care.🙏.
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My statement in full on the shooting at the @Chabad of #Poway synagogue in #SanDiego and the continued return of #Antisemitism.
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Like his namesake of the 8th century, Amos Oz was a prophet of our time, secular, but with the burning moral passion that made him not only one of the world’s great novelists, but also, at a certain time, one of the world’s great activists for peace.
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Within living memory of the #Holocaust, after which the world said #NeverAgain, #antisemitism has returned. But what is antisemitism and why should its return be cause for grave concern, not only for Jews but for all of us? #HolocaustMemorialDay #Auschwitz75 #HMD2020
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“The Queen has spoken gently to the better angels of our nature. Hers has been the quiet heroism of service, the dignity of dedication to the common good, the good that’s so much bigger and nobler than self-interest.”
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“Roger Scruton was one of the most brilliant minds of his generation in the English-speaking world. He was a polymathic genius, an intellectual giant, immense in the scope and depth of his mind.”
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Wisdom is free yet it's also the most expensive thing there is, for we tend to acquire it through failure, disappointment or grief. That's why we share our wisdom, so others won't pay the price for it that we paid. Here's some of what Judaism has taught me about life. @JTVChannel
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As #Israel faces yet another attack from Gaza - over 300 rockets & shells fired in the past 5 hours - our thoughts & prayers are with the brave men & women of the #IDF & the people of Israel. Am echad b’lev echad, we are one people with one heart. #AmYisraelChai #IsraelUnderFire.
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Tonight is Yom HaShoah when we remember the victims of the greatest crime of man against man. #NeverForget
http://t.co/Qfmbiq4tRJ.
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Together with Elaine, I wish you all a #ChanukahSameach from London! I hope you have had a wonderful #Chanukah with your family and friends. Share your #Judaism with others. Take the flame of your faith and help #LightUpTheWorld.
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Following recent attacks, I’ve written a piece for @JTAnews about the worrying and rising levels of #antisemitism in the United States, why the world’s oldest hatred has returned, and what needs to happen now. Please read and share.
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This is an excellent book by @bariweiss and well worth reading.
A year ago today I published my first book, HOW TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM. It brings me no pleasure to say that it is even more relevant now -- and for the next three days it costs less than a latte:.
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(1/4) Harav Adin Steinsaltz zt’l who has passed away was the Rashi of our generation. His commentaries made texts, especially the Talmud Bavli, accessible to millions for whom they had been a closed book before.
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(2/2) The hespeidim (eulogies) will be recorded and placed online later today. Those who wish are invited to say Tehillim (Psalms) 23, 39, 91 and 130 during this time.
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(3/3) "For those who wish to include Rabbi Sacks in their prayers and thoughts, his Hebrew name is HaRav Ya’akov Zvi ben Liba.".
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My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the tragic attack in Christchurch, NZ. People of all faith and of none must stand together, against those who seek to inflict terror, and in defence of humanity, the sanctity of life, religious freedom and the honour of God.
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It will be an honour to be one of the members to introduce @LordJohnMann into the @UKHouseofLords later today. Thank you for all you have done and all you will continue to do on behalf of us all.
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John Mann’s friendship personally and to our community has been a blessing. He is a man of principle and purpose, and he will be a great loss to Parliament. Whilst the need for a position of this nature is deeply concerning, I cannot think of anyone more suitable to fill it.
The Labour Party was plunged into civil war again this evening as a veteran MP revealed he is quitting the Commons to take up a full-time role as the government’s anti-semitism tsar
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The best things any of us can give our children are values to live by, ideals to aspire to, an identity so that they know who they are, and a religious and moral heritage to guide them through the wilderness of time. #EllulThoughts
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Here is a powerful clip from Rabbi Sacks zt"l on the meaning of Sukkot and the Sukkah in which he explores the idea that the permanent can become temporary and the temporary can become permanent. We wish you and your family a Chag Sameach! #Sukkot #Sukkot5782 #ChagSameach
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Here is a short piece published in the @JewishChron on why the world needs #RoshHashanah. Together with Elaine and my team, I wish you and your families a shana tova u’metuka. May this year be a sweet and meaningful one for us all. -
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"Hope rebuilds the ruins of Jerusalem. That is the message of Tisha B’Av. And it’s the message the world needs right now. We need to know that what can be lost can be regained. And what has been ruined can be rebuilt.” Watch or read my #TishaBAv message ->
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#Israel is the country whose national anthem, Hatikva, means #hope. Israel is the home of hope. Chag sameach! #YomHaAtzmaut #Israel69 🇮🇱🎂❤️
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Never ever be embarrassed about being a Jew. Our people has survived so long and contributed so much, that you should see being Jewish as an honour and a responsibility.
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As Israel Apartheid Weeks begin on campuses, watch my new video that explains what lies beneath the BDS campaign:
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“We must never forget the Holocaust. Never again may we walk down the road that begins with hate and ends in attempted genocide.”. For #YomHaShoah, we have combined a new animation with audio recorded in 1995 during a visit to Auschwitz.
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I was horrified and sickened by the atrocious attacks in Sri Lanka that killed and injured so many. Too often the world forgets that our common humanity precedes our religious differences, that every human being is created in the image of God, and that every life is sacred.
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“Let us not rest until Israel’s light shines throughout the world, the world’s great symbol of life and hope.”. (Rabbi Sacks’ speech at @AIPAC, 2013). #RabbiSacks #Israel #Antisemitism
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Moadim lesimcha. With thanks to @jonnylipczer, here is a thread of daily inspirational quotes from Rabbi Sacks zt”l as we journey through the Omer.
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5/ We are the people who were commanded by Moses to “Choose life” and ever since, despite the tragedies of our history, past and present, have always striven to choose life and sanctify life.
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#Judaism is a religion of #faith, not fate. Despite its threats, #antisemitism & anti-Zionism doesn't define our people. We have been, are, & will always remain, #JewishAndProud. #AmYisraelChai, the Jewish people lives. (👏 @AJCGlobal for this campaign.)
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Today marked the third yahrzeit of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l. We thank communities and schools all around the world who have honoured Rabbi Sacks’ enduring impact as a teacher of Torah, a moral voice and a leader of leaders. May his memory be for a blessing.
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"I’ve been doing Thought for the Day for thirty years but I never thought that in 2018 I would still have to speak about antisemitism." Read a transcript of my #ThoughtForTheDay, broadcast earlier, on @BBCr4today -
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"Asma Shuweikh, the lady in the train, who later said, “I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again,” chose not to be a bystander but to confront racism head on. Her quiet courage should be a model for us all.” Here is a transcript of my #TFTD on @BBCr4today ->
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"Jeremy Corbyn’s comparison of Israel to ISIS is demonisation of the highest order." Full comment here:
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“The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews. Antisemitism is the world’s most reliable early warning sign of a major threat to freedom, humanity and the dignity of difference. It matters to all of us. Which is why we must fight it together.” – Rabbi Sacks
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As we approach Yom Ha'Atzmaut and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, this video is a brief look at why, for me, Israel will forever be 'The Home of Hope'. #Israel70 #proud #Israel #AmYisraelChai #YomHaAtzmaut #ChagSameach #love
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6/ That is what the community of Pittsburgh will now do, and Jewish communities around the world will support them as they rebuild, and remember the lives lost.
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"Judaism is a religion of memory. Memory, for Jews, is a religious obligation." #TishaBAv #Jerusalem #Kotel #memory
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The official tribute to mark the completion of Shloshim for Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l, HaRav Ya’akov Zvi ben David Arieh zt”l, will take place at 7pm (UK time) on Sunday 6th December. Join live or watch it after at
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Here is a short thread as we light the candles for the third night of #Chanukah 🕎 called 'Chanukah in our time'. Chanukah sameach! 🥳
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In Judaism, God is near. The bond between us is unbreakable. God is close. God is here. God is life. Therefore celebrate life. Sanctify life. Turn life into a blessing and make a blessing over life. That is Judaism. #EllulThoughts
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As we approach #YomKippur, the holy of holies of Jewish time, here are ten ideas which might help you focus your prayers and ensure you have a meaningful and life-changing experience.
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“Peace is more than a resting place on the road to war. I cannot make peace with one who denies my right to exist.”. (Rabbi Sacks speaking in the @UKHouseofLords in 2011). #RabbiSacks #Israel #Hamas #Antisemitism
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The official tribute to mark the completion of Shloshim for Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l, HaRav Ya’akov Zvi ben David Arieh zt”l, will take place at 7pm (UK time) on Sunday 6th December. Watch it (live or after) at
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Most people look at others and see what they seem. Great people look at others and see what they are. But the greatest of the great look at others and see what they can become. That is what leadership is all about. Be someone who sees the potential in others. #MondayMotivation.
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The Office of Rabbi Sacks and The Covenant & Conversation Trust will present an online programme on Sunday 6th December to mark the Shloshim of Rabbi Sacks z"l . We hope you will join us and more details will follow.
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Here is a powerful clip, filmed in 2012, of Rabbi Sacks discussing what he learnt about Jewish pride from the captain of a glass-bottom boat in Eilat. #AvalZehShelanu #ButThisIsOurs
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"Few figures in our history have shaped our global Jewish conversation as much as Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l." As we remember Rabbi Sacks and mark his first yahrzeit, the President of the State of Israel @Isaac_Herzog offers an emotional and poignant tribute to his friend.
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Our ancestors fought for freedom more than 2000 years ago in the events we commemorate on Chanukah. We must now take up that challenge again.
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Ppl often ask where was God in the Holocaust? It’s the wrong question. The real question is where was man? #HMD2016
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A society that has no room for difference has no room for humanity. The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews. #WeRemember #HolocaustMemorialDay #HMD2018 #NeverForget #Holocaust
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