Yosef Mizrachi

In early 2014, before a lecture tour in London, concern was expressed about statements by Mizrachi in his previous lectures relating to the behaviour of secular and religious Jews during the Holocaust[7] suggesting that Down Syndrome and autism are "punishments for sins committed in a previous life" and among others.[8] Mizrachi was criticized for his views while he explicitly maintains are "Torah sourced." As a result, at least one of his planned lectures in London was initially cancelled.[8]

In December 2015, in one of his lectures, Mizrahi claimed that it is possible that only one million Jews died in The Holocaust as opposed to the well accepted figure of 6 million, since many of them were not Jewish according to Jewish law which requires a person's mother to be Jewish.[9][10] His views also include lectures using Bible Codes to "explain" the Holocaust.[11] Mizrahi was criticized by academics and Jewish leaders including Efraim Zuroff, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who said that he "made up history to suit an agenda."[9] He was also criticized by Berel Wein who stated that "It is too damaging a matter to be left unanswered and unrefuted."[12] Later Mizrahi issued an apology.[10][13][14]

After hearing a false report that the October 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting took place during a bris ceremony for the son of a gay couple, Mizrahi blamed the shooting on the allegedly sinful behavior of the congregation.[15]

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mizrachi claimed that blowing hot air from a hair dryer was a guaranteed cure for coronavirus.[16]

In 2016, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis spoke out against the travel plans of this "Jewish hate preacher";[17] and the UK Home Office has suggested that the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, was considering banning Mizrachi should he apply to visit Britain.

In March 2019, a planned visit by Mizrachi to the UK was canceled following reports that the Home Office was considering a ban on account of his track record of spreading hatred and extremism.[18][19][20] Mizrachi went on to blame Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis - referring to him as "the number one most wicked person in the whole world", along with senior Sephardi rabbi Joseph Dweck, claiming that they are “the two friends, gay lovers, who do everything they can to promote homosexuality and destroy the Jewish nation from inside, destroy the Jewish community in England… he’s going to bring a Holocaust on the Jews in England.”[21][1]

In December 2016, 16 prominent US rabbis issued an open letter about Mizrachi. They said that Mizrachi "reduce[s] complex issues to simplistic and misleading sound bites," and his assertions are "objectionable, and even dangerous."[22] The letter continued that institutions should be more "discerning" with the guests they invite.

In July 2020, a video from Mizrachi calling 14 prominent rabbis infidels was removed from social media platforms and prompted calls to have his videos removed more broadly from Jewish sites such as Torah Anytime for fear that it will incite violence. Rabbi Natan Slifkin one of the rabbis threatened in the video said, "We need to protest this hateful, potentially violence-inciting rhetoric."[23]