British Chief Rabbi Rav Sir Jonathan Sacks, head of the British Chief Rabbinate of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, spoke to the Australian Jewish News in an interview published today. Rav Sacks spoke about various topics including the Pope's Islam comments and interfaith relations when seen through a macroscopic historical lens, as well as Muslim-Jewish relations in the UK today.

Much of what he said would shock many of the right-wing Orthodox Jewish communities in America today, especially here in New York.

AJN: How are relations between the Muslim and Jewish communities in Britain?

Rabbi Sacks: We have to lead the way in good community relations, what we call darchei shalom. We are reaching out to Muslims, to Hindus, to Sikhs, establishing bonds of personal friendship.

That sometimes pays dividends. We saw the impact of this on 7/7. The British Home Office established that the risk of a major terrorist incident in Britain made it more or less inevitable but what they really feared over and above the casualties of the terrorist attack were those that might emerge from an enormous backlash against Muslims not unlike that in Holland after the murder of film-maker Theo van Gogh. But there was no backlash in Britain.

Crisis tests the underlying health of the organism and the underlying health of Britain was evident because we'd put the work in and we keep putting it in.

AJN: Is it the duty of rabbis and Jewish leaders to defend the rights of Muslims to the Jews?

Rabbi Sacks: I have appointed a rabbi specialising in Jewish-Muslim relations. If we get left out, that will leave our community very vulnerable. I see inter-faith as something that should be a rabbi-led initiative.

I submit this to all of the people who have accused me of being "too pro-Muslim" or "too pro-Arab" or "too pro-Islam." What more could a Jew require than a British Chief Rabbi touting the achievements of a shalom-centered action plan, saying that it "paid dividends" on the day of his country's worst domestic terrorist incident?

On other subjects, Rav Sacks was equally enlightening vis-a-vis his point of view. Regarding gender relations:

AJN: Certain streams of Orthodoxy have gradually tried to increase the participation of women in shul services and other aspects of Orthodox life. Where do you feel the line should be drawn in terms of women's role in Orthodoxy?

Rabbi Sacks: We have done everything we can within the parameters of halacha to enhance the position of women in shul life. We have girls celebrating their bnei mitzvot in synagogues after the main Shabbat service, we have women on shul boards, things that never happened before.

Very early on in my chief rabbinate, together with the London Beth Din, we laid down the parameters for women's prayer groups.

The most important thing we have achieved is in the area of the agunah (chained woman). We have gett legislation and pre-nuptial agreements. Any family law judge can refuse to grant a civil divorce until a Jewish divorce has been given.

A bit modern, but within halacha. Rav Sacks mentions, in passing, his friction with his more charedi counterparts, as well as the virtually unavoidable friction a national Chief Rabbi would see arising between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews.

At least I know I'm at least a little in line with da'as Torah. I can breathe a bit easier now :)