This is the Forward’s coverage of Kabbalah, a major school of thought in Jewish mysticism.
Kabbalah
The Latest
-
The Schmooze Fusing Indian and Jewish Worship With the ‘Kirtan Rabbi’
Kirtan, a Sanskrit call-and-response form of worship from India, and Rabbi, are two words not often found in the same sentence. Rabbi Andrew Hahn, better known as the “Kirtan Rabbi,” is on track to change that. Hahn’s spiritual innovation was on display at the Jewish Heritage Museum in New York’s Battery Park last week, as…
-
The Schmooze Naomi Campbell Finds Kabbalah
Supermodel Naomi Campbell, who two year ago compared Kabbalah to Alcoholics Anonymous, has done a 180 and gotten on the wagon. The star was sighted having secret meetings with with Eitan Yardeni, the Kabbalah leader who first got Madonna hooked, at the Kabbalah Centre in Manhattan, according to the New York Post. In 2008, reports…
-
Life Rest in Peace, Patrick Swayze — and the Noses of Jewish Actresses
Rest in peace, Patrick Swayze. It’s a measure of the speed of our information age that when I Googled him, 20 minutes after he died of pancreatic cancer on September 14th, his Wikipedia page had already been updated. Swayze was not Jewish, but his co-star in the movie that made him famous, Jennifer Grey in…
-
Music Madonna On The Hidden World: From Material Girl to Queen Esther
In her first of what she promises will be a regular column for Yediot Ahronot Madonna has explained how she was turned on to Kabbalah. She notes how her fame and global traveling hadn’t helped “when it came to trying to understand why people suffered in the world or what the meaning of life was…
-
Life Madonna Hearts Shimon
Madonna dropped in on Israel’s president Shimon Peres this weekend amid her latest celebrity-packed Kabbalah conclave in the holy land. Y-Net reports that she presented Peres with a copy of the “Book of Splendor” (i.e. the Zohar) with the dedication: “To Shimon Peres, the man I admire and love, Madonna.” The Material Girl also proclaimed…
-
Life Dude, Where’s Shimon Peres, and Other Celebrity Kabbalah News
The Jerusalem Post reports (following up on an article in Yediot Aharonot) that a bevy of celebrities is headed for Israel for Rosh Hashanah. They’re all stars smitten by the voodoo that Kabbalah Centre does so well: Madonna, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Donna Karan. The Post’s best tidbit, however, is the following: Kutcher, best…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s selection as JTS commencement speaker roils graduating class
- 2
Film & TV A new documentary challenges stereotypes about Orthodox Jewish women — and their wigs
- 3
News Analysis: As Democrats unite behind Platner, Schumer’s future as leader faces tests
- 4
Sports NBA coach Steve Kerr: ‘Israel sought revenge for Oct. 7 and now 72,000 Palestinians have been killed’
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward London’s Metropolitan Police launches new 100-officer unit to protect Jewish communities
-
Fast Forward ADL says antisemitic incidents dropped by a third in 2025, but assaults reached record levels
-
News Protesters picket Manhattan synagogue over Israel real estate sale, testing Mamdani and new law
-
Fast Forward A best-selling novelist identified a minor character as Israeli. Some fans are canceling their orders.