From Excellence to Leadership: What Is the Purpose of Jewish Education?

What should we expect from an outstanding Jewish school? Excellent examination results? Places at leading universities? Young people with a strong Jewish identity?

Surely, we should aspire to all three. But there is a deeper question: what do we hope our students will do with the education they receive?

In a world increasingly focused on measurable outcomes, it is easy to confuse educational success with the qualifications students achieve. Yet the true measure of education lies in what young people go on to contribute to the world.

This Jewish month of Cheshvan marks six years since the passing of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l. His extraordinary legacy continues to challenge us on the purpose of Jewish education and the relationship between academic excellence, Jewish identity and leadership.

At the heart of Rabbi Sacks’ educational philosophy was the belief that education should prepare young people not only to succeed, but to take responsibility and contribute. Writing about his original vision for Immanuel College, Rabbi Sacks argued that the school should ultimately be judged by its “leadership achievements”, rather than the number of students reaching yeshivot or Oxbridge. He invoked the famous rabbinic teaching: “Call them not ‘your children’ but ‘your builders’.”

It is a remarkable statement. Academic excellence and outstanding university destinations matter, but they are not the purpose of education. They are foundations upon which young people can build lives of meaning, responsibility and contribution.

Indeed, academic excellence is itself is a core Jewish value. However, we are encouraged to develop the strengths and talents God has given us, not simply for personal achievement, but to make our mark on the world and leave it a better place than we found it.

For Rabbi Sacks, leadership was never confined to those holding prominent positions. Leadership is about making a meaningful impact. This understanding of education has shaped our thinking at Immanuel College, where our mission is built around three core values: Jewish, Global, Leadership. But these aspirations must be translated into real opportunities.

It is this vision that inspired us at Immanuel College to introduce 15 fully funded Sixth Form scholarships for academically ambitious students pursuing pathways to Oxbridge, Medicine and Dentistry. Alongside specialist mentorship and coaching, we expect our students to make a meaningful contribution to society. Through student-led community projects, supported by local mentors, they will have opportunities to put these values into practice, developing the character, confidence and sense of responsibility to become the Jewish global leaders of tomorrow.

The launch of these scholarships reflects our commitment to turning Rabbi Sacks’ vision into a living reality. Six years after his passing, perhaps the greatest tribute to his legacy is educating a generation of Jewish achievers who aspire to become Jewish leaders.