Sen Joe Lieberman Lord Jonathan Sacks Chief Rabbi United Hebrew Congregation Commonwealth Nov 2 2011

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Full video of Rabbi Sacks prayer here

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I thank our leader. Again, I have had many conversations about things polit- ical, which will not surprise anybody who is hearing me speak. But perhaps people will be surprised that Senator REID and I have probably had as many conversations about matters spiritual and personal. Those conversations tie us together forever.

It is my honor to welcome to the Senate Jonathan Sacks, the chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, and to thank our extraordinary Chaplain Barry Black for joining me in hosting the chief rabbi.

The truth is that I knew Chief Rabbi Sacks from his writings before I knew him personally. He has written 24 books, the most recent of which was published earlier this year, called ‘‘The Great Partnership, God, Science and the Search for Meaning.’’ His writing is extremely insightful. It is broadly ac- cessible. Perhaps paraphrasing the old commercial—and the occupant of the chair, being from New York, will re- member this about Levy’s Jewish Rye: ‘‘You don’t have to be Jewish to love Levy’s Jewish Rye.’’ Well, you don’t have to be Jewish to benefit from Rabbi Sack’s writing.

He is the sixth incumbent of the Chief Rabbi position in the United Kingdom, having served in that posi- tion since 1991. The role was formalized in 1845. He was knighted by Her Maj- esty the Queen in 2005, and then on the 27th of October, 2009, was made a life peer, taking his seat in the House of Lords, where he sits on the cross benches as Baron Sacks of Aldgate in the City of London. So we welcome Rabbi Sacks not just as the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom but as a member of a fellow legislative body. He has spoken with remarkable wisdom and insight and has formed my faith in so many ways.

As I heard him give the opening pray- er today, I could not help but think that he stands in a proud tradition that began with those remarkable Christian reformists who left England to come more than two or three centuries ago to our shores, forming the United States of America more than two cen- turies ago, and in our founding docu- ments, responding to their faith, but also creating the foundation of the lib- erties that succeeding generations of Americans have enjoyed and that we in this Chamber work hard to protect and strengthen every day.

Again, I thank the Chair and the leader. I particularly thank Chief Rabbi Sacks for honoring us with his presence and his words today.