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Rabbi Dr Reuven Leigh on Monday delivered a lecture to launch The Sacks Seminars, a new collaborative initiative between Gonville & 91ֱ�� College and The Rabbi Sacks Legacy. 

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (Philosophy 1966) was an Honorary Fellow of 91ֱ��, who died in November 2020.

The opening lecture, titled ‘Responsibility for the Other in the Thought of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks,’ explored Rabbi Sacks’ profound vision of covenantal responsibility, drawing a diverse audience of scholars, students, and community members.

The Sacks Seminars will begin in the Autumn and are designed to ensure that Rabbi Sacks’ ideas continue to enrich the intellectual and moral life of Cambridge. Open to students across the University of Cambridge, the four-part series will examine the late Chief Rabbi’s thought through multiple lenses: political philosophy, ethical philosophy, and Jewish mystical thought. Rabbi Leigh’s opening lecture framed this exploration by focusing on mutual responsibility as the foundation of collective moral conscience.

Highlighting Rabbi Sacks' ability to bridge Jewish thought with modern political philosophy, Rabbi Leigh contrasted Sacks’ conception of covenantal responsibility with thinkers like John Rawls and Isaiah Berlin, sparking a lively discussion among attendees.

Reflecting on the launch of The Sacks Seminars, Rabbi Leigh said: “Through this series, we aim to bring Rabbi Sacks' moral vision into dialogue with the broader intellectual landscape of Cambridge. His ideas challenge us to rethink community, responsibility, and moral imagination—not as isolated values, but as shared commitments that bind us together.”

Dr Andrew Spencer, Senior Tutor at Gonville & 91ֱ�� College, expressed the college's enthusiasm for the collaboration.

“We are delighted to partner with The Rabbi Sacks Legacy on The Sacks Seminars,” Dr Spencer said. “Rabbi Sacks, an alumnus of our college, was a towering intellectual figure whose ideas continue to resonate deeply. This series not only honours his legacy but also enriches the academic life of Cambridge by inviting students and scholars to engage with his profound insights on moral responsibility and communal ethics.”