Rapper Ye seeks forgiveness from rabbi for antisemitic remarks
Prominent kabbalist Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto confirms meeting with rapper, formerly known as Kayne West
Ye, the American rapper formerly known as Kanye West, has met with a rabbi in New York to attempt to apologise for a series of infamous antisemitic outbursts he has made over the past few years.
Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, an Israeli-Moroccan Orthodox leader and prominent kabbalist, later shared details of the meeting on social media.
During the encounter, Ye expressed his desire to “make amends” and spoke about his struggles with bipolar disorder, attributing his previous behaviour to the condition.
“I feel really blessed to be able to sit here with you today and just take accountability,” Ye said, with his words translated to Pinto, who does not speak English.
Rabbi Pinto, who has a significant international following and has previously been seen with celebrities such as LeBron James, discussed the Jewish concept of teshuva, or repentance.
He told Ye, “Judaism lives on repentance,” and offered his support, saying, “You are a good person,” before embracing him.
This is at least the third occasion on which Ye has publicly expressed regret for his antisemitic comments.
In 2023, he cited watching the film “21 Jump Street”, starring Jewish actor Jonah Hill, as prompting a change of heart.
Later that year, Ye posted a message in Hebrew on Instagram, asking for forgiveness and pledging to promote unity.
Ye began issuing antisemitic tirades on social media and in other forums in 2022, vowing to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” and making a stream of other anti-Jewish remarks.
As a result Adidas cut off its partnership with Ye in 2022.
His antisemitic vitriol has since surfaced intermittently.
This year, he aired a Super Bowl ad in February for a website selling a swastika T-shirt, and then, in May, released a song called “Heil Hitler,” featuring a recording of the Nazi leader, that garnered millions of views on social media.