The Dignity of Difference

‘Aims to define nothing less than a basis for religiously sensitive civilisation.’
Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury

‘The Dignity of Difference has a central and compelling vision: the magnificence and inspiring human diversity of our world ... The Chief Rabbi has made a convincing case for respecting people of different faiths and creeds.’ Jewish Chronicle

This redesigned and reissued edition of The Dignity of Difference was Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's radical proposal for reconciling hatreds and includes . Updated for 2025 with a new foreword by Simon Schama.

Almost a quarter of a century ago, the tragedy of September 11 is remembered today as the moment the world woke up to the dangers posed by religious differences and intolerance. In this iconic and critically acclaimed book, reissued with a new foreword, Rabbi Sacks asked, can religion still become a force for peace?

The Dignity of Difference was the first major statement by a Jewish leader on the ethics of globalization. At the time of writing, the politics of identity had began to replace the politics of ideology that dominated the globe in the twentieth-century. Now Rabbi Sack’s heartfelt, clear-sighted and radical proposal for how we might reconcile our differences without violence is as relevant as ever. In it, Sacks argues that we must do more than just search for values common to all faiths. To avoid the clash of civilisations, we must celebrate our differences and respect all the many ways cultures have searched for meaning, so that people of all faiths and none can live together in respectful harmony.

A highly readable and beautifully written book that offers readers the perfect antidote to troubled times.