Festival Appeals
Introduction
Next year, Bar-Ilan University will open The Jonathan Sacks Institute. Reaching over 400 students a year, this groundbreaking Institute will bring together students, researchers and academics from different faiths, backgrounds and countries to learn from, and be inspired by, the remarkable work of Rabbi Sacks zt”l.
At a time when Israel’s democracy is under threat, we need this Institute more than ever, giving us hope and inspiration to build a fairer, more inclusive Israel. And where better than Bar-Ilan, one of Israel’s most diverse university campuses. Here, Israeli Arab students will get to study Rabbi Sacks’ ideas alongside ultraorthodox students. Israeli researchers will discuss and debate Rabbi Sacks’ ideas with academics around the world.
What is a festival appeal?
Today, Israel’s democracy is under threat.
Nationalism, fundamentalism and racism are outpacing liberalism, moderation, and respect for minorities. Rabbi Sacks was deeply concerned with the threat to a free democratic society posed by rampant individualism on the one hand and religious extremism on the other. He argued that our ability to overcome these challenges depends on a civic culture that engages in debate with mutual respect and a moral ecology that provides hope and builds connections and trust between different communities.
Although Rabbi Sacks is less well known in Israel than in the English-speaking world, he offers a crucial perspective − a Jewish solution to the many problems posed by the “Clash of Civilizations” − that is sorely needed in Israel today. A major objective of the new institute is to ensure Rabbi Sacks’ ideas become at least as influential in the Jewish homeland as they are outside of it, helping strengthen Israeli democracy.
Diversity
“Liberal democratic politics… makes space for difference. It recognises that within a complex society there are many divergent views, traditions and moral systems. It makes no claim to know which is
true. All it seeks to do is ensure that those who have differing views are able to live peaceably and graciously together.”
Rabbi Sacks, ‘Not in God’s Name’, 2015
Gift Opportunities
Capital
- The Jonathan Sacks Institute seminar room (naming opportunity)
£150,000
Academic Programmes
- Sponsor of Foundation undergraduate courses, educating 400 students a year
£75,000 - Sponsor of BA undergraduate course, ‘Democracy, Citizenship & Leadership’ educating 18 students a year including four Israeli Arab and four Haredi students
£75,000
Scholarships
- Scholarship for an Israeli Arab student to study BA programme,‘Democracy, Citizenship & Leadership’
£12,000/yr (for 3 yrs) - Scholarship for a Haredi student to study BA programme,‘Democracy, Citizenship & Leadership’
£12,000/yr (for 3 yrs) - General scholarship for BA programme,‘Democracy, Citizenship & Leadership’
£12,000/yr (for 3 yrs) - Research scholarship for PhD student
£25,000/yr (for 4 yrs) - Research scholarship for MA student
£5,000/yr (for 2 yrs)
Events
- International seminar – £10,000
- Visiting lecturer – £7,500
To discuss gift opportunities, please contact Max Dunbar, Executive Director, on 07985 388 457 or at max@bfbiu.org
Impact
- Introduce over 400 students a year to the life and works of Rabbi Sacks, inspiring them, as Israel’s future leaders and innovators, to strengthen Israeli democracy
- Bring together four Israeli Arab and four Haredi students a year to discuss, debate and find common ground through Rabbi Sacks’ ideas and beliefs
- Ensure Rabbi Sacks’ ideas receive the attention and recognition they deserve within academia in Israel and around the world
- Establish an alumni network of Israeli graduates inspired by Rabbi Sacks’ vision and values to make a positive change to Israeli politics and society
- Raise awareness of Rabbi Sacks in Israel, ensuring his ideas become at least as influential in the Jewish homeland as they are outside of it
