France's top rabbi forced to quit after he admits he 'borrowed' from other peoples' work and lied about his education

Rabbi Gilles Bernheim has admitted using sentences from other authors

He will now take a leave of absence following the damaging claim



Plagiarism row: Chief Rabbi of France Gilles Bernheim has been forced to stand down

France's top rabbi is taking leave from his post after he acknowledged 'borrowing' other people's work and lying about his education, a top Jewish leader has said.

Rabbi Gilles Bernheim asked for leave at an urgent meeting in Paris of leaders of the Central Consistory of France, which accepted the request, said Richard Prasquier, the president of France's largest umbrella group of Jewish organisations.

Prasquier, speaking by mobile phone, said two other rabbis would temporarily fill the post of Grand Rabbi of France, which Rabbi Bernheim will leave for at least six months. Talks about whether he might return at all will take place in the coming months, he said.

He said many people in France's 500,000-strong Jewish community have been shaken over the case.

Rabbi Bernheim faced accusations by a French academic who tracks suspected plagiarism that parts of his 2011 book Forty Jewish Meditations and part of a text he wrote about gay marriage, same-sex parenting and adoption were lifted from others. That text, written autumn, was cited in the Christmas address of Pope Benedict XVI last year.

Asked about the claims on Tuesday, Rabbi Bernheim confirmed having carried out "borrowings ... what others might call plagiarism" from others. "Not only do I deeply regret it, but I recognise it as a moral flaw," he said of one instance.

Plagiarism claims: Rabbi Gilles Bernheim, left, talks to the media after his meeting with French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace in Paris last year. He has now faced claims he has plagiarised the work of others

Rabbi Bernheim had also come under scrutiny for claiming nearly four decades ago to have received an 'aggregation' - or high-level certification - in philosophy. On Radio Shalom, he acknowledged he did not actually have one, but had made the claim 37 years ago during an unspecified 'tragic event'.