Humble ‘prophet’ or mega-rich profiteer?

As befits a spiritual leader, he cuts a humble, self-effacing figure.

But to his many detractors Philip Berg, the man behind the Kabbalah Learning Centre, is more profiteer than prophet, a multimillionaire who lives ‘like a king’ in a Beverly Hills mansion waited on by devoted followers known as ‘chevras’ who toil for just room and board.

Thanks in no small part to its A-list celebrity supporters such as Madonna and Jerry Hall, Kabbalah is big business. It has millions of pounds in assets, owns expensive properties all over the world and pulls in millions of pounds annually from the sale of Zohar, the Kabbalist text, videos, audio tapes and Kaballah products.

On top of that there are plentiful donations. As well as Madonna’s 3.65million, one of its wealthy directors, Gladys Obadiah, who lives in Hampstead, North London, gave 44,000 to the Kabbalah Centre in London in 1999-2000.

The group gained a foothold in Britain, where its critics have been less harsh than those in the United States, a few years ago. It is understood that two men, one of Berg’s sons, Yahudah, and Rabbi Eliyahu Yardeni, set up the British arm. Mr Yardeni has remained in Britain but The Mail on Sunday could find no trace of him on the electoral roll and neither is he listed as a director of the company set up to promote Kabbalah‘s teachings.

In America, Berg and his followers have been labelled ‘spiritual thugs’ and accused of using cult-like methods to split up families charges they deny.

Los Angeles-based cult expert Rick Ross revealed that Berg once paid himself 1.5million through the Kabbalah Learning Centre for the intellectual property rights to his book and words. He said: ‘Berg was virtually unknown back in 1992 so who on Earth would be interested in his books except his own centre? That made him a millionaire overnight.’ Asked about the critics’ denouncement of the Kabbalah Centre, Berg’s son Michael insisted that his father lives a frugal existence on a 350,000 annual salary. He added: ‘How can they be so negative if they haven’t met Rabbi Berg?’

Read Another Article

Jerry Hall hits out at celebrity sect
Where the Moors Held Sway, Allah Is Praised Again

Related News Articles Topic(s): Kabbalah Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Kabbalah Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog