Spreading the Light

If You Build It

After a class in one of the two Basic Jewish Studies courses developed by the Department of Political Studies’ Jonanthan Sacks Institute, a student approached Academic Director Prof. Jonathan Rynhold to share a revelation. “He was a secular Israeli, and he said that he’d studied at Tel Aviv University and Georgetown, yet he’d never encountered ideas like these before,” recalls Rynhold, who is also the department head. “He didn’t just mean that Rabbi Sacks’ ideas were inspiring. He also meant that he didn’t realize he could ever be inspired by the thinking of a religious Jew.” And now, thanks to the institute’s first two courses—“Philosophy, Religion, and Fundamentalism,” taught by the Dr. Miriam Feldmann-Kaye of the Department of Jewish Philosophy, and “The Social, Moral, and Political Thought of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks,” taught by Dr. Tanya White of “Books and Beyond: The Rabbi Sacks Podcast”—he can continue to speak to hundreds of students at Bar-Ilan each year.

Along with courses that introduce Rabbi Sacks’ thought to a wider Israeli audience, the multi-faceted institute is also gearing up to launch the Noé-Sacks Scholarships, awarded to master’s and PhD students whose research engages with Rabbi Sacks’ work, and a new bachelor’s degree in politics, Jewish and general philosophy, and economics. While this combination of three disciplines into one prestigious degree originated at Oxford University, the Bar-Ilan version is unique in its emphasis on Jewish philosophy. As such, it reflects Rabbi Sacks’ singular achievement: crafting a philosophical framework that is deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition, yet capable of addressing the most social, political, and moral challenges facing the world today. Together with the Learning and Teaching Division, the institute is also developing the first-ever Hebrew-language MOOC (mass open online course) about the philosophy of Rabbi Sacks, which will feature both English and Arabic subtitles, as well. But first, the institute plans to award the inaugural Annual Jonathan Sacks Institute Prize for Outstanding Achievement as a Public Intellectual in Memory of Samuel Gewurz of Montreal z”l to Prof. Emeritus Robert Putnam of Harvard University. The most-cited political scientist in the world over the last 50 years, Putnam’s expertise has often been sought out by global leaders, including numerous U.S. presidents and British prime ministers.

“Both Rabbi Sacks and Prof. Putnam highlighted the threats posed by excessive individualism, religious extremism, and polarization. Prof. Putnam’s groundbreaking research has also significantly shaped global discourse on the importance of civic engagement and community cohesion in preserving democracy,” says Rynhold. “It is a privilege and an honor, through this award and the Institute’s other activities, for Bar-Ilan to continue Rabbi Sacks’ conversation with the State of Israel, to which he was deeply committed.”