Henry Grunwald and Dan Sacker to leave roles at Lord Sacks Trust

Two of Lord Sacks’ closest aides are to step down from the organisation set up to further his teachings following his untimely death – with two other well-known communal figures taking their places.

Henry Grunwald will leave his role as chair of the Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust at the end of next month, as will the former Chief Rabbi’s long-term director of communications Dan Sacker.

Grunwald, who will be succeeded by fellow trustee and managing partner at executive search consultancy MBS Group Elliott Goldstein, said doing the job “had been an immense privilege. Having worked closely with Rabbi Lord Sacks when he was Chief Rabbi and I was President of the Board of Deputies, I had come to value and admire enormously his teachings and his wisdom, which had touched my life as they have touched the lives of so many others all over the world.

“The time has now come to step down and hand over to a new Chair, Elliott Goldstein, who I know will build on the foundations that the Trust has established to take forward the legacy of a man who was a giant of his time, and whose teachings of Torah, morality, and philosophy are so sorely needed in our troubled world. I want to thank all my fellow trustees, past and present, and the fantastic staff team of Joanna Benarroch, Dan Sacker and Debby Ifield, without whom none of this important work would have been possible.”

Goldstein said: “There is much work to be done as we seek to expand the reach of Rabbi Sacks’ work, and I am excited to work with our passionate professional team and committed partners throughout the world in achieving our goals. Whilst our family continues to deeply miss Rabbi Sacks, I am invigorated by the success of The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust to date in continuing to spread his legacy, and I am excited about the prospects of what we can achieve in the years and decades to come.”

Sacker will become a director at global reputational advisory firm Milltown Partners after more than a decade working with Rabbi Sacks and for the Trust across a range of communications, strategic and programmatic areas. During his time with Rabbi Sacks as Director of Communications, he worked on countless speeches, broadcasts, and public engagements both in the UK and around the world, including the 2016 Templeton Prize, the 2017 TED Talk, and the landmark BBC Radio 4 series on Morality in the 21st Century. He is credited with expanding Rabbi Sacks’ presence online through his website and on social media, enabling Rabbi Sacks to engage with individuals and institutions at a global level.

Sacker said: “I count it as one of the blessings of my life to have worked with Rabbi Sacks. He was a generational and transcendent figure, whose teachings and wisdom made a deep impact on me and helped to shape not just my faith but my outlook on life. I particularly want to thank Joanna Benarroch and Debby Ifield for being remarkable colleagues, and all the trustees, past and present, for the generous support they have given me. Rabbi Sacks’ teachings remain as relevant as ever; I know they will continue to influence my thinking throughout my life.”

Vowing to find other ways to contribute to the Trust’s work, he added:  “I am extremely excited to start the next chapter of my career at Milltown Partners and look forward to joining the impressive team and contributing to their continued growth and success.”

Israel-based Jonny Lipczer, currently the Director of Communications at World Mizrachi and former head In Bnei Akiva in the UK, will join the Trust in March. Saying he was “thrilled”, Lipczer added: “Rabbi Sacks was one of the most influential figures in my life and I look forward to bringing his timeless wisdom and universal teachings to wider audiences.”

Trust chief executive Joanna Benarroch said Grunwald and Sacker had “played enormous roles in supporting Rabbi Sacks and enabling him to achieve all that he did on a global scale, and especially once he stepped down from formal office. I’m excited to welcome Elliott and Jonny to the team. The mission of the Trust is an inspiring one, and there is a huge amount to do to continue embedding Rabbi Sacks’ ideas and teachings in future generations”.