Kabbalah and the Spiritual Quest: The Kabbalah Centre in America (Religion, Health, and Healing) (Hardcover)

by Jody Myers (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Myers presents an interesting investigation of a highly controversial subject: the Kabbalah Centre in America. Created by Rabbi Philip Berg, these centers are dedicated to popularizing, in a highly revised form, traditional Jewish mysticism known as kabbalah among both Jews and non-Jews. The justification for such dissemination lies in a belief in the "unusual mission" of kabbalah. Berg and his colleagues have had considerable success. In most large US cities one finds all sorts of individuals, including most famously Madonna, espousing kabbalistic doctrines. Myers was sufficiently intrigued to undertake the first serious, surprisingly sympathetic study of this phenomenon. She sees it as a syncretistic "new religious movement" that attracts "upwardly mobile Western urbanites, disappointed by organized religion yet looking for a spiritual and ethical outlook with religious roots." Her description of the movement covers its roots, popularization in the US, main teachings, and value in spiritual healing, and a survey-profile of some of its adherents. Her methodological approach is primarily sociological and psychological and stresses the functional character of the movement. Even if one is more critical of the Kabbalah Centre, as this reviewer is, this is a valuable study for libraries serving religious studies programs. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above.”–Choice

“Though much has been written about it in the popular press, this is the first scholarly study of the Kabbalah Centre, utilizing both historical and ethnographic methodologies....This is an important study that is of great value to anyone interested in new religious movements in general and the Kabbalah Centre in particular.”–Religious Studies Review

“Jody Myers's excellent debunking of The Kabbalah Centre....is marked by scholarly rigor, objectivity and depth of analysis that is absent among the center's usual promoters and detractors. It's a must-read for those interested in the truth and hucksterism behind the red strings and expensive bottles of water.”–Forward.com

“The first comprehensive, book-length examination of the Kabbalah Centre's founders, philosophy and methods.... Lots of folks aren't going to appreciate such a rare, temperate treatment of a trend that has caused concern for the Jewish establishment. But complaining about it has not derailed the movement. Myers' book reflects the reality: The Kabbalah Centre continues to thrive because it directly addresses difficult life situations and satisfies a hunger for a faith system that promises tangible results.”–Toronto Star

“This path-breaking study peels away many layers of mystery surrounding the beliefs, practices, leaders, and history of the Kabbalah Centre--a movement rooted in Jewish mysticism, but now broadly universal and heavily New Age. Myers shows how the Kabbalah Centre fits into the panoply of American religion, where it engenders controversy, and why it appeals to Christians like Madonna. A valuable and illuminating contribution.”–Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University author of American Judaism: A History

“The Kabbalah Centre has received a great deal of publicity, but no sustained attention from scholars studying new religious movements. This surprising gap in our understanding has been closed admirably by Dr. Myers in this clear, concise, and comprehensive study of the group. Myers' carefully researched, and sympathetic yet critical, ethnography provides an excellent introduction to the history, the beliefs and practices, and the social profile of this uniquely American religious innovation.”–Lorne L. Dawson, Professor of Sociology & Religious Studies, University of Waterloo

“Few contemporary religious phenomena have received as much attention as the Kabbalah Centre. For the first time now, an academic scholar of history and religion, Professor Jody Myers, has made a sincere foray into the institution itself and presented her fascinating findings in this volume. Using the technique of "disciplined empathy" along with an open mind and great creativity, Professor Myers enlightens us concerning the Centre's history, methods and philosophy, and how these fit into the larger phenomenology of religion. This book is outstanding, both for its insights into the Kabbalah Centre and as an example of how to study a contemporary urban religious community.”–Matt Goldish, Samuel M. and Esther Melton Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Melton Center for Jewish Studies at the Ohio State University

“Prof. Myers skillfully integrates the perspective of a critical historian with a sensitive and empathic ethnographic approach. Based on both written documents and close acquaintance with participants and leaders of the Kabbalah Center, Prof. Myers portrays the multifarious and complex facets of one of the most intriguing and influential contemporary spiritual movements. Kabbalah and the Spiritual Quest is an excellent work of historical and ethnographic scholarship, for both general readers and academic scholars. This is a major contribution to our understanding of contemporary spiritual culture.”–Dr. Boaz Huss, Goldstein-Goren Department of Jewish Thought, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Book Description

Provides an overview of Kabbalah and its popularity in the United States.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (August 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275989402
• ISBN-13: 978-0275989408
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #818,650 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fair,balanced, scholarly yet accessible, June 6, 2008

By	Hugo Schwyzer (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The only scholarly study of the Kabbalah Centre, Jody Myers's superb monograph is a fair and detailed analysis of this growing spiritual phenomenon. Myers hasn't written a hit piece of a flattering bit of puffery; she's even-handed and fair, with an ultimately positive attitude towards the controversial Centre. Those who only know Kabbalah because of Madonna would do well to read this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Different approach, October 28, 2007

By	Robert Braun (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been following the Kabbalah center for a number of years (it's close to my home), with a great degree of scepticism and not a little dislike. Dr. Myers' review forced me to reconsider my approach. While the book is clearly academic, it is also approachable. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in furthering their understanding of this new trend.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Academic's Look at the Kabbalah Centre, June 29, 2009

By	Manhattanite (NYC) - See all my reviews

I'm not sure what book the previous reviewers were reading, but Myers is anything but sympathetic to the Kabbalah Centre. It's true that this isn't a "hit piece" and strives for (and achieves) a necessary scholarly neutrality. Myers is non-judgmental and employs the phrasing of a "new religious movement" for what most everyone else in the world calls a cult. Which is appropriate: Myers is a professor of religious studies and has approached her subject the way a neutral researcher ought to, suspending value judgements and reporting the facts.

But the facts are devastating. Myers very clearly sets out how the Centre started with door-to-door selling of copies of the Zohar commentaries and other home-brewed works of "kabbalah" and grew into a multinational juggernaut that takes no prisoners. Her stories, carefully sourced and documented, of Centre acolytes living in the group house and working round the clock on Centre business without pay is disturbing, all the more disturbing to hear that there are financial bonuses for recruiting new members. It's obvious that the Centre is far closer to a multilevel marketing enterprise than a house of worship.

This is a book not to be missed by anyone who fancies themselves literate in contemporary American Judaism. The Kabbalah Centre is by far the most important development of the 20th Century in American Jewish life and this is the first and only book to give it the careful appraisal that it deserves. Myers places the Centre in the context of Baby Boomer spirituality and also gives accurate backgrounding for the real kabbalah from which the Centre purports to derive.