Honduran government officials in Israel to take part in Rabbi Pinto's family wedding

Rabbis, public dignitaries, businessmen and politicians from all over the world filled the Gabriel Halls in Ness Ziona last night (Tuesday) on the occasion of Rabbi Menachem Pinto's daughter’s wedding. The event united many shades in the political spectrum in Israel - left, right, religious, hareidi and secular. Non-Jews from many countries also came to participate in the event.

Rabbi Menachem Pinto is the brother of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, the leader of the Shuva Israel congregations around the world and the son of Rabbi Chaim Pinto, the Rabbi of Ashdod and Kiryat Malachi. He has accompanied his brother Rabbi Yoshiyahu for many years and is a full partner in the establishment of the Shuva Israel yeshiva’s Torah and charity empire, which numbers about 100 study centers and yeshivas in the world.

Senior Honduran government officials stood out among the many guests who came especially to Israel to participate in the wedding.

Heading the delegation from Honduras was the son of the President of Honduras and her senior advisor - Jose Manuel Zelaya. Other dignitaries included Pedro José Barquero Tercero - Secretary of Economic Development, Miguel Medina - Minister of Investments of the Government of Honduras, Giselle Alejandra Larach Morales - Advisor for Foreign Affairs, Rafael Rosendo Calderón Henley - Head of the Armed Forces of Honduras, and Jose Carlos Galvez Andrade - Captain of the Honduran Armed Forces.

Other celebrants included the member of the Council of Torah Sages the Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Machfood, Rabbi Yuval Ashrov, Chief Rabbi of Ethiopian Jews Rabbi Reuven Vobshet, Rabbi Ilan Gozel, Rabbi Ravid Nagar - head of Or Lanoar Institutions, Rabbi Yosef Mizrahi, Rabbi Adir Amrutsi - head of the Harim Nisi Yeshiva, Rabbi Avraham Baruch - head of Yeshivat Nezer Baruch, Rabbi Dan Mechaber, Rabbi Yehuda Saada - head of the His’orerut Israel association, the Gaon Rabbi Yehoram Yafet - head of the Meorot HaRashash institutions and the president of the HaMeorot network which provides experts to rule on Jewish law for the Yemenite community, Rabbi Chaim Elosh and other rabbis.

Government ministers included Israel Katz, Galit Distel-Atbarian, May Golan and Knesset members Tali Gottlieb, Kati Shitrit and more, as well as former Knesset members Oren Chazan and Osnat Mark, mayors, local council heads, and economy and industry leaders.

Another delegation arrived for the wedding in Israel from Morocco composed of senior government officials, businessmen, academics and members of the Moroccan Jewish community. They visited Israel - some of them for the first time in their lives - to participate in the Pinto family wedding.

At the beginning of the week, thousands came to participate in the traditional bonfire lighting ceremony in Ashdod on the night of Lag B’Omer, led by Rabbi Pinto and his successor Rabbi Yoel Moshe Pinto. Rabbi Pinto blessed the crowd of thousands and urged them to join the daily Zohar reading project which will culminate on the 25th of Elul, the day of the creation of the world, in a huge event with the participation of over ten thousand people.

This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel