A chief Down Under

THE Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, Lord Jonathan Sacks, will visit Australia in January.

Lord Sacks, who will retire from his post in September 2013, will begin his visit in Perth, then spend a day-and-a-half in Sydney for Australia Day before travelling to Melbourne where he will spend Shabbat. Exact details of his activities during the visit are yet to be determined.

The Great Synagogue’s Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence, who is coordinating the Chief Rabbi’s Sydney itinerary, said: “Lord Sacks is highly acclaimed as a leader within the Jewish world, respected for his scholarship and his ability to communicate Torah philosophy in a way which is relevant to all of humanity.

“His two decades as Chief Rabbi have seen his contribution to the world of faith recognised by many diverse peoples and cultures,” he said. “It will be a pleasure to host him in 2012.”

Rabbi Lawrence said during his stay in Sydney, the Chief Rabbi would be participating in an Australia Day activity, giving a public lecture and meeting with religious Zionist youth.
He said he envisaged details would be finalised in about a month.

Likewise, East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation’s Rabbi Dovid Gutnick, who is coordinating the Melbourne portion of the visit, said he wished to finalise the details in that city before making the information public.

“We’re very excited to be hosting Rabbi Sacks and his wife during the Melbourne leg of their stay,” he said. “We are talking to the appropriate community organisations to plan the visit.”

Lord Sacks has been Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth since September 1991. He was knighted in 2005 and took his seat in the the House of Lords in October 2009.

He has written many books and is a frequent and respected commentator in the British media.

GARETH NARUNSKY

comments