Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Will the British Chief Rabbi end up in America?

There has been speculation in the community for some time that the Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, is approaching the final years of his tenure, now that he has been in post for almost 20 years and taken up his position in the House of Lords.

But what will he do afterwards?

In 2002, rumour was rife both here and in New York that he was being strongly considered for the position of president of Yeshiva University. At the time, sources suggested he had been sounded out for the job, but did not want to leave the chief rabbinate. Many agree, though, that he is extremely suited to life in academia and his lecture tours of the US have always proved extremely popular.

Now comes the news that Yeshiva University is going to award its inaugural Lamm Prize (commemorating its chancellor, Norman Lamm) to Lord Sacks this month.

According to the YU website, Lamm Scholars Prize winners will become visiting scholars at YU, and

contribute richly to our academic life by giving lectures, teaching courses, and leading discussions within the YU community.

Is it only a matter of time before we hear the Chief Rabbi is making the move permanent? Remember, you read it here first....

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