Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto
Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1973 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Parent | Haim Pinto (father) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto (born 1973) is an Israeli Jewish spiritual leader and Kabbalist[1] who lives in New York City.[2]
Pinto descends from a centuries-old rabbinic family from Morocco, and speaks only Hebrew.[1] On his father's side, he is the great-grandson of Chaim Pinto, a revered Moroccan sage;[3][4] on his mother's side, he is the grandson of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, better known as the Baba Sali.[3]
Pinto is a leader in the Jewish community of New York City, where he operates his synagogue out of the former NY Historical Society, which was purchased for $28.5 Million[2][4][5] http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/a-short-second-life-for-a-building-with-history/who has established a network of yeshivas in Israel as well as in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City.[3][4] In his early 20s, Pinto founded his first Shuva Israel yeshiva in Ashdod, Israel.[5] Presently the center has four synagogues serving more than 1,200 worshipers, a yeshiva with over 300 full-time students, and a soup kitchen that provides 3,000 meals a day.[5] 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,[citation needed] and revered in Silistra for giving his life to save the town from a plague in 1826.[5]
Business career
Despite having no formal business background,[2] a number of prominent Israeli and Jewish-American businessmen have visited Pinto for consultation on business and personal matters,[6] including the Israeli owner of the Plaza Hotel Yitzhak Tshuva, talk-show host Donny Deutsch, famed jeweler and convicted felon Jacob Arabo (Jacob the Jeweler), real estate moguls, and Congressman Anthony Weiner.[6][7] In August 2010, LeBron James was reported to have met with for business consultations, for which he allegedly made a "six-figure payment".[6]
Politicians and businessmen who have visited Pinto in Israel include attorney (and former Justice Minister) Yaakov Neeman, former Bank of Israel governor Jacob Frenkel,[3] and Israeli soccer star Guy Levy.[8]
Because of Pinto's influence, he has been called the "rabbi to the business stars".[9]
References
- ^ a b Nathan-Kazis, Josh (June 23, 2010). "Charismatic Moroccan Kabbalist Draws Crowds And Questions". The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ a b c Elkies, Lauren (April 30, 2008). "Rabbi Pinto Blesses the Deal". The Real Deal. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Handwerker, Haim (May 26, 2006), "The Sage of Manhattan", Haaretz.
- ^ a b c Ettinger, Yair (March 29, 2010). "A rabbi not afraid to deviate". Haaretz. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Mandel, Jonah (October 1, 2010). "Celestial Celebrity". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ a b c Berkovici, Jeff (August 1, 2010). "The Mysterious Rabbi Who Gave LeBron James Business Advice". AOL: DailyFinance. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ Benari, Elad (September 8, 2010). "Will Jewish Businessmen Invest in Israel?". Israel National News. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
- ^ Boker, Moshe (August 29, 2007). "Soccer/Luzon won't let coach bolt U21s". Haaretz. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ Luisa Yanez and Jaweed Kaleem (August 11, 2010). "Report: LeBron James hires rabbi". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
Further reading
- Cowan, Allison Leigh. "A Short Second Life for a Building With History" in The New York Times, August 23, 2010.