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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Washington, DC (October 23, 2017) — Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth and current Ingeborg and Ira Rennert Global Distinguished Professor at New York University, will receive the Irving Kristol Award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), on October 24, 2017.
An internationally recognized religious leader, philosopher, and author of more than 30 books, Rabbi Sacks served as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. Since then, he has taught at several academic institutions, including Yeshiva University, King’s College London, and New York University. His many awards include the 2016 Templeton Prize in recognition of his “exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension” and the Bradley Prize for being “a leading moral voice in today’s world.”
Rabbi Sacks has also been awarded 17 honorary doctorates, including a doctor of divinity conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
At the AEI Annual Dinner on October 24, Rabbi Sacks will discuss the current dangers threatening Western freedom and the importance of civil society to liberty.
“Rabbi Sacks has made remarkable contributions to philosophy, religion, and interfaith discourse,” AEI President Arthur Brooks said. “As one of the world’s greatest living public intellectuals, his work has influenced a generation of scholars and leaders across multiple fields and religious traditions. The respect he commands is enormous and well-deserved. We are pleased and honored to recognize him with our Irving Kristol Award.”
“I am deeply honored to be receiving an award from the American Enterprise Institute,” said Rabbi Sacks, “an organization that is dedicated to defending human dignity and expanding human potential. I am particularly indebted to Arthur Brooks, who has done so much to further the moral case for free enterprise. I look forward to discussing our shared ideals and honoring the memory of Irving Kristol, who was as thoughtful in his writings about Judaism as he was about politics.”
AEI’s Irving Kristol Award is given annually to individuals who have made exceptional practical and intellectual contributions to improve government policy, social welfare, or political understanding. Established in 2002 in honor of AEI Senior Fellow Irving Kristol, the accolade replaced the Francis Boyer Award, which had been given for the previous 25 years. Previous recipients include Gerald Ford, Arthur F. Burns, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, Antonin Scalia, Dick Cheney, Alan Greenspan, Paul Ryan, and in 2015, Benjamin Netanyahu. The ceremony and dinner will take place at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.
This event is by invitation only. For press inquiries or additional information about the award and the dinner, please contact AEI Media Services at mediaservices@aei.org or 202.862.5829.
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AEI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization dedicated to expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening free enterprise.
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