Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto (Hebrew: יאשיהו יוסף פינטו, Arabic: يوشياهو يوسف بينتو; born September 27, 1973)[1] is an Israeli-Moroccan Orthodox rabbi who leads a global organization called Mosdot Shuva Israel [he].

[3] As part of a series of legal issues, he pleaded guilty in September 2014 to bribing a high-ranking Israeli police officer.

[11] Several yeshivas or religious schools located in the United States and Israel and sponsors a charitable organization that provides food for Israeli families in need.

[2] Pinto's center in Ashod 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.

[9] During his stay in Bulgaria, Pinto held a meeting with 80 Jewish American businessmen, asking them to invest $5 billion in the Israeli economy.

[2] His followers include Jay Schottenstein (chairman of the American Eagle Outfitters clothing company) and real estate mogul Jacky Ben-Zaken.

[9] Pinto has been characterized as "something between a guru and a Hasidic rebbe" and as a "mystically inclined" Kabbalist with an interest in the esoteric elements of the Jewish tradition".

[15] Prominent non-Jews who have consulted with Pinto include New York City politician Michael Grimm[2] and basketball player LeBron James.

[11] 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.

[20][21] 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".

[23] In February 2015, the Supreme Court upheld Pinto's plea agreement under which he would serve a maximum of one year in jail and become a state witness.

[31][32] He arrived at prison on February 16, 2016, after a brief stay in an Israeli hospital to check on and treat his medical conditions, including cancer.