Gilles Bernheim
| Gilles Bernheim | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Gilles Uriel Bernheim 30 May 1952 Aix-les-Bains, France |
| Occupation | Chief Rabbi of France |
| Predecessor | Joseph Sitruk |
| Successor | Haïm Korsia |
Gilles Uriel Bernheim (French pronunciation: [ʒil y.ʁjɛl bɛʁ.nɛm]; born 30 May 1952) is a French rabbi who was formerly the Chief Rabbi of France. Born in Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, in 1952, he was elected by the general assembly of the Central Consistory chief rabbi of France on 22 June 2008, for a seven-year mandate starting from 1 January 2009. Until then, he had been rabbi of synagogue de la Victoire, the main synagogue in Paris, since 1 May 1997. The Chief Rabbi of France was respected as a scholar not only in the Jewish community but in the wider academic world. However, he resigned as chief rabbi in April 2013 before his term had ended, amid revelations of plagiarism and deception about his academic credentials.
He succeeded chief rabbi Joseph Sitruk. He was very critical of the lifting of the excommunication of bishop Richard Williamson.
The French Government appointed him Knight [Chevalier] in the Légion d'honneur, on 10 April 2009.
In October 2012, he took a clear position against gay marriage in a plagiarized essay entitled "Mariage homosexuel, homoparentalité et adoption : ce que l’on oublie souvent de dire" (approximately equivalent to "Gay marriage, gay parenting and adoption: What we frequently forget to mention" in English)
« The problem in the proposed legislation, the harm it would cause to our entire society for the sole benefit of a tiny minority, once they have irreversibly blurred three things:
This essay found a strong echo in Roman Catholic circles, culminating in Pope Benedict XVI quoting him at length in his annual address to the Roman Curia, 21 December 2012
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