Former French Chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim makes aliyah
Bernheim explained that he will join his children and grandchildren in Israel, which motivated his move.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFFrench chief rabbi Gilles Bernheim 370(photo credit: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)
Former French chief rabbi Gilles Bernheim made aliyah (immigrated) with his wife to Jerusalem on Wednesday.Last Friday, before Shabbat began, Bernheim wrote on his public Facebook page that “this Shabbat has a particular flavor” given it was his and his family’s last Shabbat in Paris, adding that “next week, we will be home in Jerusalem.”According to his statement, he explained that he will join his children and grandchildren in Israel, which motivated his move.During the week of Hanukkah, a special celebration was organized in his honor to celebrate his aliyah at the Grand Synagogue of Paris, Synagogue de la Victoire.Bernheim served as the chief rabbi of France for four years, from January 2009 to April 2013, but was brought down after it was revealed that he plagiarized in two of his books and an essay on gay marriage titled “Homosexual Marriage, Gay Parenting and Adoption: What We Forgot to Say,” an essay that even Pope Benedict quoted during a speech at the Vatican before the scandal.He was also accused of failing to correct his official biographies in which he claimed to hold a degree in philosophy, as he usually introduced himself as an “agrégé,” a sort of “doctor” and a prestigious academic title obtained by civil servants in competitive tests that he never passed.
