Baruch Dayan Emmes: HaGaon HaRav Yosef Chaim Sitruk, former Chief Rabbi of France, was niftar if a difficult illness on Sunday morning, 22 Elul at the age of 73. Rav Sitruk held the post of Chief Rabbi from June 1987 to June 2008.

The name �Chaim� was added when the rav suffered a severe stroke in 2001.

The rav was born in Tunis in 1944. He received semicha in 1970. He lost his bid for re-election as Chief Rabbi of France on June 22, 2008, against Rabbi Gilles Bernheim, who had previously run against him on the 1994 Chief Rabbinate elections and failed.

The rav�s condition took a significant turn for the worse in recent weeks and his last public appearance was about two months ago.

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(YWN � Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo: Media Resource Group)