‘Remorseful’ Kanye West tells Rabbi his anti-semitic slurs were caused by bipolar

Kanye West has expressed ‘profound remorse’ about his past antisemitic remarks when sitting down with a Rabbi.

The controversial rapper 48, has been slammed in recent years for a string of tirades targeting Jewish people.

His erratic behaviour has included him selling t-shirts printed with swastikas, releasing a song called Heil Hitler and even going so far as to call himself a ‘Nazi’.

In response, various social media platforms banned him, whilst West was also labelled a ‘deranged bigot’.

Now, the rapper has been photographed having a private meeting with prominent New York Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, during which he issued an apology for his past actions and remarks.

In a post shared on the Rabbi’s Instagram account, it was explained that West, who was referred to as his legal name Ye, said he’d ‘expressed profound remorse for his past statements concerning and about the Jewish people’.

In the video the rapper – who had begun sharing antisemitic posts in October 2022 – told the religious leader: ‘I feel really blessed to be able to sit with you today and just take accountability. I was dealing with some various issues, bipolar, so it would take the ideas I had and had them, take them to an extreme where I would forget about the protection of the people around me, or myself.

‘Sometimes people aren’t that knowledgeable about bipolar and what causes it or the way you act when you have this disease. So, it’s like if you left the house and left your kid at the house and your kid went and messed up the kitchen and messed up the garage, mess up the living room. Now, when you get back, it’s your responsibility, because that’s your child.

‘And I really just appreciate you embracing me with open arms and allowing me to make amends. And this is beginning in the first steps, and the first brick by brick to build, to build back the strong walls.’

Through a translator, the rabbi squeezed West’s hands and told him: ‘You are a very good man.’

The caption of the post read: ‘Rabbi Pinto welcomed Ye warmly, encouraged him with words of Torah and light, and praised his will to move closer to truth. Rabbi Pinto said: “A person is not defined by his mistakes, but by the way he chooses to correct them. This is the true strength of man: The ability to return, to learn, and to build bridges of love and peace.”.

‘Ye came with humility to seek forgiveness and a new chapter of repentance and love among human beings. The meeting concluded with shared hope for a future of respect and unity among nations and faiths, grounded in a commitment to truth and peace.

‘Ye and Rabbi Pinto hope to serve as an example to the world of the power of faith and reconciliation.’

In May this year West had said he was ‘done with antisemitism’ following a FaceTime call with his and ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s four children, North, 11, Saint, nine, Chicago, seven, and six-year-old Psalm.

He asked God to ‘forgive me for the pain I’ve caused’ and called for forgiveness and asked for peace. Writing a series of posts on X, he explained: ‘I am done with antisemitism. I love all people. God forgive me for the pain I’ve caused. I forgive those who have caused me pain. Thank you God. The earth itself is in Gods Kingdom. GOD CALLS FOR PEACE. Share peace. Share love.’

While West met with the Rabbi this week, his wife Bianca Censori was back home in Australia visiting family.

However, the rapper is unable to enter the country after being banned earlier this year due to his antisemitic posts.

In July, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told the ABC: ‘He’s been coming to Australia for a long time. He’s got family here and he’s made a lot of offensive comments that my officials looked at again. Once he released the Heil Hitler song, he no longer has a valid visa in Australia.

‘It wasn’t a visa for the purpose of concerts. It was a lower-level and the officials still looked at the law and said, you’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don’t need that in Australia.’

It is not clear if West has been permanently banned from Australia, but Burke explained that visa applications were reassessed each time they were submitted.

‘I think that what’s not sustainable is to import hatred,’ the politician added.

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