Kabbalah Centre - Celebrity Followers

Celebrity Followers

Madonna studies regularly with a personal Kabbalah Centre rabbi, no longer gives concerts on Friday night (which is the onset of Shabbat), wears the red string around her left wrist for protection and to ward off the "Evil Eye" (Ayin Hara), has introduced Jewish ritual objects such as tefillin ("phylacteries") into her videos and tithes regularly to the Kabbalah Centre. In July, 2006 the media reported an unfounded rumour that Madonna was leaving the Kabbalah Centre and one media columnist speculated that one reason was alleged financial irregularities of donations to the centre. Despite the uncorroborated allegations of financial irregularities, the rumour turned out to be false, and Madonna continues to attend Kabbalah Centre events. In fact, Madonna has collaborated with the Kabbalah Centre on a new project called Raising Malawi, which will provide relief aid to the African nation of Malawi. When Madonna tried to partner Raising Malawi with UNICEF, UNICEF demurred due to this project's close association with the Kabbalah Centre.

Lindsay Lohan has also had some involvement with the organization, and has been seen wearing the associated red string on her wrist. Other celebrities that have been associated with the Centre include Roseanne Barr, Sandra Bernhard, Anthony Kiedis, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall, Lucy Liu, Pierre Lewis, Alex Rodriguez, Rosie O'Donnell, Naomi Campbell, Donna Karan, Elizabeth Taylor, Mischa Barton, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, James Van Der Beek, and Heather McComb.

Britney Spears and Jerry Hall left the movement in 2006 and 2005. Jerry Hall, ex-wife of Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, left the Kabbalah Centre after she was asked to tithe ten percent of her revenues. Paris Hilton also left, and has gone back to the Roman Catholic faith.