Ramat Gan, Israel — In a ceremony held this week at Bar-Ilan University, Prof. Robert Putnam, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, was awarded the inaugural Jonathan Sacks Institute Prize. Established by the Gewurz family of Montreal in memory of Samuel Gewurz, the prize honors exceptional public intellectuals who embody the values championed by the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.
The award ceremony coincided with Bar-Ilan University’s 70th anniversary celebrations and served as a tribute to Rabbi Sacks’ enduring intellectual legacy. Though Rabbi Sacks and Prof. Putnam hailed from different spheres, Sacks as a Jewish religious leader and philosopher, and Putnam as a sociologist and political thinker, they shared a deep concern for the moral and social fabric of modern society.
Prof. Jonathan Rynhold, Director of Bar-Ilan’s Sacks Institute and Chair of the Department of Political Science, highlighted the profound connection between the two thinkers. “In 2020, Rabbi Sacks described Prof. Putnam as ‘a brilliant professor whom I regard as the world’s greatest professor of sociology,’” Rynhold said. “Rabbi Sacks referenced Prof. Putnam’s work extensively, in books, Torah commentaries, speeches in the House of Lords, and even in his final book, in exploring the shift from a ‘we’ society to an ‘I’ society, and the urgent need to reverse that trend.”
Rynhold added, “Rabbi Sacks was captivated by the idea that religious communities can be engines of social capital, creating bonds within groups and bridges between them. In many ways, it feels as if Rabbi Sacks himself chose the first recipient of this prize.”
In his acceptance remarks, Prof. Putnam expressed heartfelt admiration for Rabbi Sacks. “Rabbi Sacks and I loved each other. He was a wonderful human being, and you have no idea how much I appreciate receiving this award in his name,” he said.
Bar-Ilan University President Prof. Arie Zaban paid tribute to Rabbi Sacks’s lasting influence. “We miss Rabbi Sacks, his ideas, his voice, and his inspiration to repair the world, but we’re thrilled that our institute in his name is carrying on his legacy. We thank the Gewurz family for making this prize possible, and we hope it will help further expand Rabbi Sacks’s legacy by engaging remarkable thinkers like Prof. Putnam.”
The Gewurz family’s longstanding devotion to Bar-Ilan University spans over three decades. Brenda Gewurz, widow of Samuel Gewurz, recalled the family’s early support of the university, including endowing the Gender Studies Program chaired by Samuel’s sister, Prof. Dafna Izraeli. Brenda praised Prof. Putnam and his wife Rosemary for attending the ceremony despite travel challenges amid the ongoing regional conflict. “Your dedication speaks volumes. We’ve treasured our conversations about social capital and community building. What makes Bob truly unique is that he’s not just a professor in the ivory tower of Harvard, but he goes out into the field creating healthy, creative communities,” she said.
Her son, Zev Gewurz, emphasized the shared inspiration between Rabbi Sacks and Prof. Putnam. “My dad was inspired by many people. Chief among them was Rabbi Sacks, who took on some of the world’s and the Jewish people’s most difficult challenges and worked tirelessly every day until his passing for the best. Similarly, Prof. Robert Putnam works for the best. To hear Prof. Putnam’s message is to be inspired. He not only diagnoses society’s deepest challenges but also offers, and actively works toward, meaningful solutions, using every platform available.”
Former Israeli Ambassador to the UK Daniel Taub, Chair of the Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust in Israel, reflected on the award’s broader significance. “In these difficult times, we are all holding on to points of light. Rabbi Sacks and Prof. Putnam are two such lights. Remarkably, Prof. Putnam is the most cited political scientist of the last 50 years. And just this past year, Rabbi Sacks was the bestselling religious author in Hebrew in Israel, evidence of a growing thirst for values, meaning, and community. This moment presents us with a profound opportunity.”
The Jonathan Sacks Institute at Bar-Ilan University, established in 2023, aims to perpetuate Rabbi Sacks’ legacy by fostering academic research and leadership development focused on moral, social, and political challenges. The Institute seeks to inspire future leaders guided by Rabbi Sacks’ vision of community, responsibility, and social cohesion.
This article is based on verified information from Bar-Ilan University’s May 2025 press release and related sources.