Mystic Man: Movie star Ashton Kutcher attends funeral for Rabbi Philip Berg in Israeli city of Safed. Image by haaretz

Rabbi Philip Berg, the founder of the Los Angeles-based Kabbalah Center, whose death was announced on Monday, was buried Wednesday at a cemetery in the northern Israeli city of Safed, a place that has been associated for centuries with Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism.

Berg, 86, attracted a large number of followers to Kabbalah, among them American celebrities including Madonna, Britney Spears and Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher and his girlfriend Mila Kunis were among those who attended the funeral. Berg was buried in a large mausoleum commissioned several years ago as his gravesite.

The mourners at his funeral conducted themselves in solemn silence. Following the eulogies, the crowd embraced in a row and quietly sang, swaying from side to side, reciting “Ani Ma’amin,” a Hebrew expression of faith in the coming of the Messiah. The recitation then tapered off into silent prayer.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Berg was buried in a large tomb in the city’s new cemetery, which is near the old burial ground, the site of the graves of leading figures of the Kabbalah movement including the 16th century rabbis Isaac Luria, Shlomo Alkabetz and Yosef Caro. Luria is regarded as a founder of contemporary Kabbalah and Caro was the author of the Shulhan Aruch, an authoritative religious code of Jewish conduct.

For more go to Haaretz

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount