Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Rabbi Jonathan SacksReuters

UJA-Federation of New York on Saturday night expressed condolences statement on the passing of the former Chief Rabbi of Britain, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.

“We are broken-hearted to learn of the passing of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks over Shabbat,” said UJA-Federation of New York CEO Eric Goldstein in a statement.

“The world has lost one of the great Jewish leaders of our time - and a truly kind and gentle soul. At the core of his vast contributions to public life and discourse was his remarkable ability to create and communicate a compelling narrative, rooted in Torah and Jewish law, of tolerance, compassion and understanding,” he added.

“Rabbi Sacks was a good friend to UJA and we were honored to welcome him many times. On every occasion he showed us a better way to navigate the complexities of our world and pathways to deeper insight.”

“Baruch Dayan Emet and may his memory be for a blessing.”

Rabbi Sacks passed away over Shabbat after a battle with cancer. He served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013.