This is the Forward’s coverage of Kabbalah, a major school of thought in Jewish mysticism.
Kabbalah
The Latest
-
Culture A Kabbalah for Architects?
● Kabbalah in Art and Architecture By Alexander Gorlin Pointed Leaf Press, 192 pages, $60 ● Constructing Memory: Architectural Narratives of Holocaust Museums By Stephanie Shosh Rotem Peter Lang International Academic Publishers, 217 pages, $71.20 Although architecture has long been thought of as enjoying minimal importance in the Jewish tradition, present-day scholarship continues to show…
-
Fast Forward Los Angeles Kabbalah Centre Sued By Former Followers for $1M
The Los Angeles-based Kabbalah Centre is being sued for over $1 million by former followers in two lawsuits alleging fraud and misuse of funds. Both suits were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Nov. 27 and claim that the Centre pressured the plaintiffs “to give money until it hurts,” in order to receive…
-
The Schmooze Madonna’s Sukkot at Kabbalah Rabbi Memorial
Madonna, one of the world’s most prominent Kabbalah followers, decided to skip the funeral of mentor Rabbi Philip Berg — and instead attended a joyous memorial in New York. The mystic Material Girl joined other followers of Berg at kosher hot spot Prime at the Bentley hotel in Manhattan, the New York Post reported. The…
-
Fast Forward Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher Attend Funeral of Kabbalah Rabbi Philip Berg
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…
-
Fast Forward Rabbi-to-Stars Philip Berg Dies at 86
Rabbi Philip Berg, who brought the teachings of Kabbalah to a celebrity following that included Madonna and Britney Spears, has died. Berg, the founder of the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles, died Monday at a hospital in that city. He had been ill since suffering a stroke in 2004. Berg was 86. His followers also…
-
The Schmooze Madonna’s Son Rocco Bar-Mitvahed
Can you picture Madonna and Guy Ritchie dancing the hora? This is what one can only hope happened after their son Rocco was bar-mitzvahed on July 13 at the Kabbalah Center in New York. Madonna celebrated her boy’s transition to manhood by posting a picture on Instagram. “We finish the last letter of the Torah…
-
Opinion How Fracking Conflicts With Kabbalah
Every year, more than 100 billion gallons of water are used in the United States for hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” a process that breaks up rock in order to force out millions of cubic feet of natural gas. What people may not realize is that most of this water stays deep underground. The 20%–50% of…
-
Culture How Greek Philosophy Influenced Both Christian and Jewish Theology
My fellow columnist at the Forward, the estimable J.J. Goldberg, has written a blog post about my May 19 column, “Could the Holy Ghost be Jewish?” In his blog, he respectfully takes exception to my statement that “neither biblical nor rabbinic Judaism has anything like the Christian Trinity in its thinking about God,” and goes…
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 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.
-
Fast Forward Boulder hostage-march firebombing suspect to plead guilty to state charges