tel aviv | The world’s best-known student of Kabbalah, Madonna — along with her husband, film director Guy Ritchie — was among some 2,000 devotees who descended upon Israel from 22 countries, hoping to absorb the strength of what they say are extra-powerful energies emanating from the Holy Land during the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The pop diva was among the praying, swaying and singing masses of Kabbalah enthusiasts who made the pilgrimage to Israel for the High Holy Days, seeking spiritual transformation through a brand of Jewish mysticism.
“We want to create peace in the world. We want to put an end to chaos and suffering. But most of all we want to put an end to hatred for no reason,” Madonna told an audience at a benefit Sunday, Sept. 19, for a children’s foundation run by the Kabbalah Centre. The Catholic-bred singer has been studying the Jewish mystical tradition at the Los Angeles center.
During her speech at the $500-a-head benefit, held at the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv, Madonna tried to move the focus from herself to Spirituality For Kids, the foundation supported by the Kabbalah Centre.
“We’re teaching children about the laws of cause and effect. We’re teaching them that for every action there’s a reaction. We’re teaching them the concept of responsibility,” read the singer, who is the mother of two.
“We teach children what we’re trying to learn as adults. The difference is children are more open, they are more alive, they are more pure, and they do not see the world in a fragmented way. They are closer to God.”
The “Material Girl” was celebrated by an Israeli public hungry for a touch of celebrity after four years of violence that has scared away visitors of all stripes — famous and anonymous alike.
“I think it’s the best PR we can have,” Tourism Minister Gideon Ezra said of Madonna’s visit.
He told The Jerusalem Post he read that the Kabbalah Centre, which has 50 branches throughout the world, has 22 million supporters. “That’s more Jews than there are in the world. If all these people are sympathizing with Israel and the Jews, then I am happy.”
However, the center, which prides itself on bringing the tenets of Jewish mysticism to people of all backgrounds and religions, has been criticized by traditional Jews who claim it has watered down Kabbalah into a distorted, New Age form of its true teachings.
“The Kabbalah Centre has nothing behind it,” said Jonathan Rosenblum, director of Am Echad, an Orthodox media resource organization in Jerusalem. “This is proof that at least some of the people can be fooled some of the time.”
While the gathering was promoted as spiritual, there was also a commercial aspect. At booths set up in the lobby, Kabbalah-inspired goods such as backpacks, jewelry, stuffed dolls, children’s clothing —even tequila shot glasses — were all emblazoned with one of the 72 names of God were on sale.
“We want to have more things relating to Kabbalah. They help us with our transformation, with developing a change from within,” said Rachel Roded, of the L.A. center.
On Friday, Sept. 17, hundreds of Kabbalah enthusiasts clamored on the rocks by the Tel Aviv beachfront for a tashlich service.
Closing their eyes and clutching white prayerbooks, they gathered in small groups and recited prayers. “This is for everyone in the whole world,” said one group in unison as they tossed breadcrumbs representing sins into the sea.
“This is about letting go,” said Kenya Berryman-Jones, a 56-year-old homemaker from Greensboro, N.C., who has been studying Kabbalah for about six months.
She said she has incorporated teachings of Kabbalah into her practice of Christianity. “I am learning about my true self, how to become a better person, how to share and give and not look for anything in return.”
The Israeli-born Miri Citron, who came from Fairfield, Conn., said the force of the gathering’s energy could have healing powers for the world. “People wanted to come to Israel to make a difference,” said Citron, 46.
Citron said she became interested in Kabbalah after learning about other spiritual systems such as those practiced by Native Americans and Buddhists.
“For me, this is coming back to my roots, my Jewish roots as well,” said Citron, a health-care administrator.
She said that all the attention focused on celebrities like Madonna tends to overshadow the fact that, like many others, they are seeking personal transformation.
The singer famous for her overtly sexual and controversial antics was described by fellow Kabbalah students as “modest” and “a serious student.”
The most famous personality participating in the tashlich ceremony was Marla Maples, a model and actress best known for her famous ex-husband, real estate magnate Donald Trump.
For Maples, who has been studying Kabbalah for seven years, coming to Israel was an important step in her spiritual journey.
“Israel is the heartbeat of the world,” she said, holding a bottle of Kabbalah mineral water, marketed by the center for its spiritual properties. “Because there is so much unrest in the Middle East, we felt that it would be useful for us to come here and meditate for peace.”
She said incorporating Kabbalah teachings in her life has made a real change.
“It’s helped me live without so much chaos, it’s helped me deal with anger,” she said. She added that, if celebrities wish to address their own spiritual lives, they are “as deserving as anyone else.”
According to Rabbi Shaul Youdkevitch, the director of the Kabbalah Centre in Israel, non-Jews have taken part in Jewish practices throughout the religion’s history.
Indeed, he said, the main principles of Kabbalah — human dignity and loving one’s neighbor as oneself — are universal and speak especially to those who feel alienated from their surroundings.
Boaz Huss, who lectures at Ben-Gurion University’s Jewish thought department, said the Kabbalah Centre represents “an innovative postmodern interpretation of Kabbalah” and that the interest in its teachings reflects a broader trend of people searching alternative cultures for spiritual answers.
According to Huss, Madonna is playing a key role.
“The link is Madonna,” he said, calling her “one of the most influential and significant artists of the post-modern era. She shapes and is still shaping a lot of our culture, and this integration” with Kabbalah “is very interesting.”
Meanwhile on the Tel Aviv boardwalk during the tashlich ceremony, boisterous dancing, singing and clapping broke out among the Kabbalah followers. Packed in tight, concentric circles, the participants, many of them Israeli, sang and danced around a tallit held high in the air.
The singing stopped and the groups suddenly started cheering in unison, fluttering their hands in the air in what one of the members says is an attempt to direct positive energy.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to give light for the rest of the entire year,” said Avraham Nissin, a 26-year-old university student who has been involved in the Kabbalah Centre in Tel Aviv for eight years.
Observing the scene of fervor and prayer was Mazal Naor, a retired accountant from Jerusalem who came to Tel Aviv for Rosh Hashanah.
“I think it’s great,” Naor said. “It unites everyone for peace. I don’t know who is Jewish, who is Christian or who is Muslim here, and the unity is nice to see.’
The Jerusalem Post Service contributed to this report.