If anyone has been linked with the Kabbalah Center of New York and has left, please let me know. My boyfriend joined the Center and ever since has changed his behaviour. He has become very cold and distant. The center is constantly asking him for huge sums of money among other things. They promise happiness but only if you give them huge sums of money (they say it is for the good of the world).

When people try to question them and/or want to leave they are told that they will be attacked by evil forces. Basically, once they get you, there is no easy way out. They split up families.

I respect all faiths. But, have no respect for those who use spiritual manipulation in order to gain money and/or coerce people to do menial tasks for them.

I would like to speak to someone who has had experience with them and get their opinion.

thank you

I did attend one class there. I felt very uncomfortable. They say that you should ask questions. So long as the questions are in line with their philosophy. Then, they coerce you to buy expensive books, take expensive classes, buy expensive "holy" water, take expensive trips to their center in Los Angeles or Florida.... It's a never ending money grabbing cult. If they can't get money from you, you are worthless to them.

Something needs to be done.

Thanks for your input.

I agree something should be done to stop such a cult from hurting people. The more people speak out the better.

if anyone tries to advertise Kabbalah Centre on Craigslist, do a counter post and tell folks to come here and read up on them.

Keep your post sober and factual--'Before you get involved with Kabbalah Centre please read this first'. You might mention KC is the outfit Madonna is involved with--enough by itself to put a lot of people on notice.

A lot of people who disagree with posts on CL-NYC respond by flagging and removing them, especially when the posts offer anti-cult education.

If your post is flagged and removed, raise the issue with the administrator of the CL-NY bulletin board. You're not slandering anyone. The info you're sharing has been published elsewhere.

If KC can use CL to advertise, CL should be willing to allow you to post and offer information that enables people to make a fully informed descision about an outfit that has a well documented track record of inflicting psychological and financial harm.

CL posts in other cities are not flagged nearly as often as the ones in NYC.

It isnt the administrator's fault--just a difference in how the users of the NYC-CL board react.

Thanks for your advice.

Forgive me for sounding ignorant, but I am not familiar with Craigslist. However, I shall surf the internet and find out.

the url is [www.craigslist.org]

There are CL 'general community' bulletin boards for most of the major cities in the US. The LA, SF and NYC CL's are the most active.

There are also various forums/fora on CL--health, spirituality, psychology, parents, etc.

Unlike the 'General Community' bulletin boards which are city-specific, you can post from any city and it will land on the forum, with city initials next to your post.

You can run searches on the General Community bulletin board, but as of yet, its not possible to run searches on the forum postings.

Posts expire 10 days after you put them on the bulletin board.

If a lot of people decide they dont like a particular post they can vote to 'flag' it, which means it is removed. (Kind of like Survivor)

Flagging happens at the drop of a hat on the NYC post.

In other cities, people are more likely to respond by 'counter-posting' rather than voting that a post be flagged and removed.

If you're in need of some amusement, go to 'The Best of Craigslist'.

If you're ready to scream at the moon, go to 'Rants and Raves'.

Anything and everything shows up on CL.

Someone posted, saying he or she needed a bunch of perfect live cockroaches for a scientist friend's birthday party. The person was willing to pay $200

I e-mailed the person and suggested they contact a skid row homeless shelter and soup kitchen where I used to work.
(grin)

Thank you so much corboy for your information.

Sorry about your situation, sarah.

It is a real shame when people use spiritual manipulation and separate people.

Kabbalah knowledge is not bad. It is the way it is being interpreted at the Kabbalah center that is the problem. Somehow, they seem to have found a way to make money out of that knowledge.

Thanks for your concern.

I do agree that the Kabbalah center has found a way to extract money from people. They are definitely wolves in sheep's clothing.

I cannot bear it when people fool others.

I disagree. I think it is more destructive than just the money aspect. Going through it right now, and seeing my best friend totally manipualted and changed, I think it her friends and family only had the money aspect thing to worry about, we'd feel very blessed that was all we had to worry about.

Of course it's a shame that they extract money from others but money can be recovered. What can't be recovered is families who've been broken up over this organization, the lives of the members who ave joined, and everything they teach.

Like someone said, they set fear, and dabble in mind control with their members. I think that is more hamrful than anything else. People should feel lucky if they only lose money. It's the members and families who'll never be the same. I am heart broken right now over my best friend and if I only had the money aspect to worry about in her case, I'd feel pretty blessed.