Kabbalah Centre

In 2022, the Kabbalah Centre marked the 100th anniversary of its spiritual lineage originating from Rav Ashlag’s founding in 1922. The organization released an annual report highlighting its financial health and global reach, celebrating a century of continued operations and expansion worldwide.

On December 12, 2016, the Kabbalah Centre pledged volunteer hours and funding to build homes in Downey, California, collaborating with Habitat for Humanity as part of its charitable causes initiative, demonstrating its efforts in public philanthropy.

On November 25, 2015, a court ordered the Kabbalah Centre to pay $42,500 in damages to a former student, finding the organization negligent in supervising Yehuda Berg, who was found liable for causing emotional distress through sexual harassment and coercive behavior.

On December 3, 2013, lawsuits were filed by former supporters alleging that the Kabbalah Centre misused over $1 million in donations. Plaintiffs claimed funds intended for center expansion and children’s charity were diverted, and accused the organization of pressuring donors to give beyond their means.

On October 18, 2011, investigative reporting revealed that the Kabbalah Centre had diversified revenue sources including real estate investments, merchandise, donations, and classes. The center reportedly held approximately $200 million in real estate and had annual revenues around $60 million, spotlighting its complex financial infrastructure.

On May 5, 2011, reports surfaced that the IRS and federal authorities began investigating the Kabbalah Centre for potential financial impropriety, including allegations that nonprofit funds were being misused as a ‘piggy bank’ by those running the organization. The probe also referenced possible misuse of funds tied to Madonna’s Raising Malawi charity.

On January 9, 2005, a senior figure at the London Kabbalah Centre, Eliyahu Yardeni, made controversial statements regarding the Holocaust, prompting widespread criticism. This controversy drew media attention to the organization’s leadership and reputation.

During the early 2000s, celebrities such as Madonna, Britney Spears, and others publicly associated with the Kabbalah Centre, significantly raising its profile. Madonna, notably, adopted Kabbalah practices like the red string, wore tefillin in performances, and helped introduce the Centre to a global audience, contributing to its expansion and visibility.

In 1984, the Kabbalah Centre opened its Los Angeles headquarters, which later became its global headquarters. This expansion into Los Angeles marked a new phase of growth, allowing the organization to establish a physical base in the United States with wider reach and visibility.

In July 1965, Philip Berg and Rabbi Levi Isaac Krakovsky established a publishing house in the United States titled “The National Institute for the Research in Kabbalah.” Initially intended to support kabbalistic scholarship and Brandwein’s yeshiva in Jerusalem, this institution later evolved into the Kabbalah Centre, marking its formal establishment in the U.S.

In 1922, Rav Yehuda Ashlag founded the original Kabbalah Centre in Jerusalem as a scholarly institution dedicated to translating and disseminating the Zohar and Kabbalistic teachings. His work modernized these esoteric teachings, making them more accessible through Hebrew translations, laying the spiritual groundwork for future expansion. This marks the formal birth of the movement that evolved into today’s Kabbalah Centre. His contributions significantly influenced modern popular Kabbalah interpretation and pedagogy.