BFBIU and The Rachel Charitable Trust are delighted to announce the launch of the Noé Sacks Scholarships, supporting ten postgraduate students at Bar-Ilan’s new Jonathan Sacks Institute. These scholarships will empower MA and PhD students to engage with Rabbi Sacks’ ideas, integrating his perspectives into academic and public discourse in Israel and beyond.
Aligned with the Institute’s mission to advance Rabbi Sacks’ teachings, recipients of the Noé Sacks Scholarships will produce academic publications, share research online, and create a global network of academics and intellectuals. Students will also receive specialist communications training, equipping them to bring their research to wider, non-academic audiences.
The Jonathan Sacks Institute, the largest of its kind globally and the first in Israel, was launched last year. It serves over 400 students annually, bringing together individuals from diverse faiths, backgrounds, and countries to engage with Rabbi Sacks’ transformative work.
Prof. Jonathan Rynhold, Director of The Jonathan Sacks Institute, expressed gratitude for the partnership:
“We are extremely grateful for the generous support of The Rachel Charitable Trust. The Noé Sacks Scholarships will serve as the main avenue for increasing the engagement with, and influence of, Rabbi Sacks’ ideas across many disciplines throughout the academic world.”
Leo Noé, trustee of the Rachel Charitable Trust, commented:
“We are honoured to support The Jonathan Sacks Institute at Bar-Ilan University and to empower the next generation of scholars to share Rabbi Sacks’ enduring wisdom with the world. The Noé Sacks Scholarships embody our commitment to continuing his legacy and inspiring meaningful global conversations.”
Lady Elaine Sacks added:
“My husband was passionate about bridging the gap between traditional Jewish thought and contemporary societal issues, and this institute will continue that legacy. I am grateful to Bar-Ilan University and the Rachel Charitable Trust for providing a platform for Rabbi Sacks’ teachings in Israel, which will continue to inspire future generations.”
Bar-Ilan is now calling for applications for the Noé Sacks Scholarships – download more details: Noe Sacks MA Scholarships and Noe Sacks PhD Scholarships
The Jonathan Sacks Institute
The Jonathan Sacks Institute has two core aims:
- To ensure Rabbi Sacks’ ideas receive the attention and recognition they deserve within academia, helping address many of the moral, social and political challenges faced in Israel and around the world.
- To create new leaders through a diverse network of alumni who will make a meaningful impact on the future of Israeli, Jewish and world society, inspired and guided by Rabbi Sacks’ vision.
To reach a wider Hebrew-speaking audience the Institute offers free, online courses. Called MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses), these courses are free for all Israelis to join and explore the philosophy of Rabbi Sacks, the significance of dialogue, the Jewish idea of interpretation, and Rabbi Sacks’ legacy.
Later this year, the Institute will be launching new foundation courses grounded in Rabbi Sacks’ writings. All Bar-Ilan students (now over 21,000) must take several foundation courses in Jewish Studies. Taught by Dr Miriam Feldmann-Kaye and Dr Tanya White, these foundation courses will enable Rabbi Sacks’ ideas to gain widespread exposure across the university, reaching students who will not be familiar with Rabbi Sacks or his work.
In addition to its postgraduate courses, the Institute will also be launching a new elite BA programme in Politics, Jewish Philosophy and Economics (modelled on PPE at Oxford University). This undergraduate programme will embody the combination of ideas, concerns and interests that characterised Rabbi Sacks and is designed to bring diverse students together to learn from, and be inspired by, Rabbi Sacks’ work.
