Rabbi Haim Korsia
France's Jewish community elects new Grand Rabbi
Haim Korsia replaces Gilles Bernheim, who resigned last year after admitting plagiarism and lying about his academic qualifications.
France's Jewish community on Sunday elected Haim Korsia, the Jewish chaplain of the French army, as its new Grand Rabbi, as it grapples with rising anti-Semitism.
Korsia, 51, was elected to a seven-year term by members of the Central Consistory, the top Jewish religious authority in France, defeating Olivier Kaufmann, the head of a rabbinical school, by a vote of 131 to 97.
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Korsia's election followed last year's shock resignation of former Grand Rabbi Gilles Bernheim after he admitted to plagiarism and to lying about his academic record on his CV.
The new leader of the French Jewish community alluded to his predecessor's controversy in comments he made after the election.
"The first challenge will be to restore confidence, we must revive hope, and in a time of despair that is difficult, but that must come first, to bring back trust in the institution, and in France," he said.
The election comes as France's Jewish community -- the largest in Europe with 500,000 to 600,000 members -- has warned of rising anti-Semitism on the continent.
Concerns have been raised by violent attacks, including last month's killing of four people outside a Jewish museum in Brussels and the murders of seven people, including a rabbi and three Jewish children, by gunman Mohammed Merah in Toulouse in 2012.
Support has also been rising for far-right parties like France's National Front, which has long faced accusations of anti-Semitism.
