| Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto | |
|---|---|
| Position | Founder and head |
| Organisation | Mosdot Shuva Israel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1973 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Residence | New York City |
| Parents | Haim Pinto (father) |
Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto (born 1973) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi who lives in New York City and Ashdod.[1][2][3][4][5] He heads a global ministry, Mosdot Shuva Israel. In addition to his religious work, Pinto is known for his work and influence with business and political leaders.
Contents |
Pinto has a following as a spiritual leader and is regarded by his followers as a Kabbalist.[6]
Pinto descends from a centuries-old Hebrew-speaking Sepharadi rabbinic family from Morocco.[6] On his father's side he is the great-grandson of Chaim Pinto, a Moroccan sage;[3][7] on his mother's side, he is the grandson of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, also known as the Baba Sali.[7]
In his early 20s, Pinto founded Shuva Israel, a yeshiva in Ashdod, Israel.[4] The center has four synagogues that serve more than 1,200 worshippers, a yeshiva with over 300 full-time students, and a soup kitchen that provides 3,000 meals a day.[4] Pinto has also established a network of yeshivas in Israel, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.[3][7] In October 2010, Pinto led thousands of individuals to Silistra, Bulgaria, for an annual pilgrimage in homage of Eliezer Papo, who is honored among Jews for his book Pele Yoetz,[4] and revered in Silistra for giving his life to save the town from a plague in 1826.[4] During his stay in Silistra, Pinto held a closed meeting with 80 Jewish American businessmen, asking them to invest $5 billion in the Israeli economy.[8]
In December 2010 Pinto condemned an open letter endorsed by 50 Israeli rabbis which encouraged Jewish community members to avoid renting or selling property to non-Jews.[9][10] Pinto believed that the letter would provoke racism against Jews in Israel and abroad, making it difficult for them "to live in New York or anywhere else in the world."[9] The letter was also condemned by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.[10]
In September 2011 Pinto's father-in law, the chief Rabbi of Argentina Shlomo Ben Hamo, retracted claims of money laundering against Rabbi Pinto in the Jerusalem District Court. Ben Hamo said the retraction was "part of an arrangement made for legal reasons and to preserve domestic tranquillity". Under terms of the agreement, Pinto will pay NIS 3.4 million for apartments in the Gold housing complex in Jerusalem.[11]
Although Pinto has no formal business background,[1] a number of prominent Israeli and Jewish-American businessmen have visited him for consultation on business and personal matters, including the Israeli owner of the Plaza Hotel, Yitzhak Tshuva; talk-show host Donny Deutsch; jeweler Jacob Arabo ("Jacob the Jeweler"); former Congressman Anthony Weiner; and professional basketball player LeBron James.[12] Pinto has said that he does not consider his help to be advice, saying instead that "It’s more of a blessing".[5] Politicians and businessmen who have visited Pinto in Israel include attorney (and former Justice Minister) Yaakov Neeman, former Bank of Israel governor Jacob Frenkel,[7] and Israeli soccer star Guy Levy.[13] Because of Pinto's influence, he has been called the "rabbi to the business stars",[14] and was described by Yoel Hasson, a Kadima member of the Knesset, as having a "a huge influence....He's connected to a lot of people in Israel, to people in Israeli politics."[5]
A number of real estate issues with which Pinto is directly or indirectly connected have attracted media attention. For example, Pinto had an ongoing feud with deceased real estate mogul Solomon Obstfeld regarding Pinto's lease of Obstfeld's apartments at the post NYC Essex House.[15][16]
In 2008 real estate broker Ilan Bracha and his partner developer Haim Binstock paid $1.65 million for the ground floor at the Heritage at Trump Place condominium.[17] Bracha and Binstock had planned to open a synagogue in the 2,700-square-foot (250 m2) space for Pinto’s use,[18] and the rabbi has been involved in fundraising efforts.[19] In early in 2009 the partners defaulted by failing to pay their share of the building's common charges, according to the foreclosure action brought by the condo board in New York State. In February 2011 the site was saved from foreclosure proceedings by a $56,000 personal check from Binstock's wife.[17][20]
The building where Pinto lives is owned by the Mosdot Shuva Israel organization, which is a Manhattan-based not-for-profit organization that Pinto works with. In November 2009 the mortgage holders, JPMorgan Chase Bank, began foreclosure proceedings on the property as the mortgage had not been paid since May 2009. At least ten meetings have been held between the two parties, but to date, the matter is still not resolved.[5]
On December 20, 2011, The New York Times reported that the FBI was looking into the roles played by a former aide and one other person in an alleged embezzlement and extortion plot against Pinto.[21]