Rabbi Sacks Up Close: His Bodyguard and Editor Remember ft. Joe Hyams and David Frei

As we mark the yahrzeit of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, we’re remembering him through the eyes of two working Bnei Torah who knew him personally — not as a public icon, but as a mentor, a mensch, and a man of deep humility.

Joe Hyams spent his late teens on Rabbi Sacks security team. driving him to events across London and making sure he was safe. From the front seat, he saw the balance between majesty and modesty. “He carried himself with a regal sense of presence — yet he’d be the one holding the door open for you.” Joe describes the long, quiet drives before speeches, the relaxed warmth afterward, and how those moments shaped his own path in Torah, family, and career.

David Frei, a London lawyer and communal leader, became one of Rabbi Sacks’ trusted editors. He saw the scholar behind the sermons — “a brilliant writer and a brilliant orator,” who read a new book every night and took feedback with humility. David recalls those tense early-2000s years and how Rabbi Sacks emerged stronger, turning personal trials into a wider moral voice for faith and reason.

Together, their memories reveal a side of Rabbi Sacks rarely seen — deeply human, endlessly curious, and quietly transformative.

Select Quotes:

“He could speak to you without speaking. His smile was sharp love — piercing, serious, and full of warmth all at once.”

“He showed that Torah, integrity, and professional success aren’t separate worlds — they can and should live together.”