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Prof. Alex Green Interviews Rabbi Jonathan Sacks COMMUNITY EXCLUSIVE Prof. Alex Green Interviews Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth, was at the Chautauqua Institution this past July to give a morning lecture during a week which explores “a crisis of faith.” The Institution reached out to the Buffalo Jewish Federation for an interview with Rabbi Sacks. Dr. Alex Green of the UB Department of Jewish Thought conducted the interview with the man who was acquainted with his parents. Karen Green assisted with the interview. An international religious leader, the world, we have seen religion used for philosopher, award-winning author and purposes of exclusion and often violence. respected moral voice, Rabbi Lord Jonathan How can Judaism, Christianity and Islam Sacks served as Chief Rabbi of the United be a force for good in a liberal and diverse Hebrew Congregations of the (British) society, or does openness and tolerance Commonwealth for 22 years, from 1991 to require banishing religion from the public 2013. Since 2013, he has held a number sphere? of professorships at several academic JS: My view is that all three faiths Professor Alex Green Rabbi Jonathan Sacks institutions, including Yeshiva University have both hard texts and histories of and Kings College London. He currently violence with peoples of other faiths, own, it becomes much harder. I think AG: You have been involved in communal serves as a Distinguished Professor at often histories of violence towards that is the basic and major challenge leadership for the last 30 years. What advice New York University. Sacks is the author members of their own faith whether facing all the faiths in the twenty-first do you have for those considering taking of more than 30 books, including his dissident or schismatic. Faiths are century. Most people at most times on positions of leadership? How can Jews most recent, Not in God’s Name, which learning organizations and they do this have been surrounded by people who and Judaism uniquely contribute to diverse was awarded a 2015 National Jewish Book through successive interpretations of are like them. Today we are in a world communities like Buffalo? Award. Sacks is the recipient of numerous their own texts. I have tried to show in of inescapable interconnectedness JS: It’s hard to be Jewish, so if awards, including the Jerusalem Prize the book how they did so, how Judaism with people who are very unlike us and you can do that, you can handle any in 1995 for his contribution to diaspora rewrote its texts after the catastrophe it seems to me that is God’s challenge challenge life throws at you. We say Jewish life. He was knighted by Her of the first century and Christianity did to us in the twenty-first century. If “the Lord is my Shepherd” but no Majesty The Queen in 2005, and made a so in the sixteenth and seventeenth Jews, Christians and Muslims can put Jew is ever a sheep! It’s difficult. It’s Life Peer, taking his seat in the House of centuries after the catastrophe of the their historic animosities behind them, really challenging. It’s thrilling. We Lords in 2009. wars of religion. Clearly Islam will have it can be seen in the full retrospect are great at leadership. We are terrible AG: In your newly acclaimed book, to do so in the twenty first century. The of history to answer the challenge of at followership. And that makes it Not in God’s Name, you suggest that the thing that really makes religions wake today. very challenging. You are tested in the justifications of violence from religious texts up to the danger and harm to their own AG: You have been Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community. That is enormous are a misreading and abuse of our holy faith is when there is conflict within United Kingdom from 1991-2013 and source of strength if you can come scriptures. You argue that “the use of religion the faith itself. When you are killing have recently been teaching at New York through it. Of course, in order to for political ends is not righteousness, but your enemies, you can say this is God’s University as the Ingeborg and Ira Rennert come through it you need: one, a idolatry.” In America, Israel and around work. But when you are killing your Global Distinguished Professor of Judaic very supportive family. Two, you’ve Thought. Having spent more time in America got to have wise friends who will say recently after having finished your tenure as to you the most important word in Chief Rabbi, what do you like about America any language, “no.” You need to have and American Jewish life? people who will stop you from making JS: American Jewish life has two the big mistakes. And then the people things that are really remarkable. First, who believe in you who will take you it has critical mass. It can do things on through the difficult moments. I was a scale that we can’t do anywhere else always blessed to have two or three in the diaspora. There is nothing quite people who always believed in me more like AIPAC, there is nothing quite like than I believed in myself. That helped the General Assembly, there is nothing me through the difficult time. There like the number of Jewish students will be difficult times, whoever you at universities like NYU, University are, whatever your leadership position. of Pennsylvania or SUNY. You go to Also, a good sense of humor. Make sure one university in the States and there you stay faithful to your ideals. Make are more Jewish students than all the sure you have good friends. universities in the UK! That critical AG: In Buffalo, we have a program called mass makes a huge difference. Second, Nickel City Jews, which is a community it’s very decentralized, which creates platform for bringing together the people creativeness. Sometimes it looks a and events that make up Jewish Life in little chaotic to a guy from Britain, Buffalo for young adults in their 20s, 30s but it’s creative chaos. I thought chaos and early 40s. Nickel City Jews’ mission is theory was a description of the Jewish to create ongoing and varied programs that people! facilitate engagement of Jewish young adults 6 www.jfedbflo.com | September 2017 COMMUNITY “one gr8 look is worth a thousand words” with each other and with Jewish experiences. “who did this to us?” Whenever a It has been very successful! What advice do culture asks the second question “who you have engaging Millennials to be proud of did this to us?” it looks for someone their Jewish identity? to blame. Usually Jews were the most JS: Wow, big question! I think the convenient people to blame because twenty-first century is going to throw a) they were around, b) there were Millennials a lot of challenges. I don’t enough of them to be a threat and mean specifically Jewish millennials or they weren’t going to retaliate if you specifically Jewish challenges. I think blame them and c) there has been we are heading to a period of great a pretty long tradition written into instability in every level of life. Jews Christian and Muslim texts from the are the world’s experts in surviving beginning. That’s what anti-Semitism instability and doing so while thriving is. What you do about it, certainly in personally and collectively and Europe. The first thing you need to experiencing joy while so doing. Jews do is to stop defining it as a Jewish have this written into their DNA. I problem. I always say is that the hate would make the whole world Jewish. that begins with Jews never ends with It’s the best thing for the universe. Jews. The only way to defeat anti- Look at what this lady from Silicon Semitism is to get the public to realize Valley said to me. Rabbi Sacks: the that it’s aimed at all of us. Britain was smartphones and tablets are doing the first country, where we insisted terrible things for our kids. They are on principle, that the fight against degrading their social skills, their anti-Semitism is led by non-Jews. This attention spans, their ability to make was extremely well lead by the four eye contact. When we have family prime ministers that I had the privilege meals, they have their phone under of working with: John Major, Gordon the table and they are texting their Brown, Tony Blair and David Cameron. friends. It was bad for them and bad for AG: The recent decision in the Knesset the family. You’ll love what we decided to cancel the agreed upon compromise to to do: we decided to take one day a negotiate and rebuild the egalitarian section week and make it a screen-free day, no of the Western Wall at Robinson’s Arch Offering Expertise In: smartphones, no tablets. We’ve called has caused tension between Israeli and it Shabbat. That is one more instance Diaspora Jewish leaders. What do you see • Plastic Surgery • Cosmetic Dentistry of when I tell non-Jews what Jews do as the proper role for the Kotel? How can • Advanced Skincare • Implant Dentistry to keep their values intact in an age of Israelis and Diaspora Jews learn from each • Massage Therapy • Mini Dental Implants turbulent change, the non-Jews love other? • Cosmetic Dermatology • Invisible Orthodontics it. One of the most powerful devices is JS: I sat with Natan Sharansky about Shabbat itself.
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