Karen Berg (October 12, 1942 – July 30, 2020) was an author and the founder of the

Kabbalah Centre The Kabbalah Centre International is a non-profit organizationworldwide located in Los Angeles, California that provides courses on the Zohar and Kabbalistic teachings online as well as through its regional and city-based centers and study groups ...

International. She is the author of four books; ''God Wears Lipstick: Kabbalah for Women''; ''Simple Light, Wisdom from a Woman's Heart''; ''To Be Continued, Reincarnation and the Purpose of our Lives''; and ''Finding the Light through the Darkness, Inspirational lessons rooted in the Bible and the Zohar''.

Career

Born Karen Mulnick on October 12, 1942, Berg grew up in a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. She first encountered

orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

while working at a New York insurance office, where she met Philip Berg. She and Philip Berg later married in 1971. The couple moved to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

with Suri Shamouelian and Leah Arnon, Karen Berg's two daughters from a previous marriage and had two sons, Yehuda and Michael, born in 1972 and 1973. Philip began teaching

Kabbalah Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...

with Berg supporting him. They set up The Research Centre of Kabbalah in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. After living there for 12 years, they moved to Richmond Hill in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

, where their home became the Kabbalah Centre's first U.S. location. The Bergs later moved to

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. In 2005, Berg wrote ''God Wears Lipstick: Kabbalah for Women''. The book discusses ancient Kabalistic wisdom. She also wrote ''Simple Light, Wisdom from a Woman's Heart'' in 2008. Berg founded The Kabbalah Centre Charitable Foundation, Spirituality for Kids, an online program that works to help at-risk kids and teens. In 2005, she founded Kids Creating Peace, an organization that works with children in war-torn areas of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. Philip Berg died in 2013. After his death, Berg and the couple's son Michael directed the daily activities of the Centre. Karen Berg became spiritual leader of the Kabbalah Centre. In 2016, Berg wrote ''Finding the Light Through the Darkness: Inspirational Lessons Rooted in the Bible and the Zohar''. Berg died on July 30, 2020 at the age of 77. She was interred next to Rav Berg in Tzfat Israel on August 2, 2020.Dear Friends and Colleagues
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Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Karen Kabbalists 1942 births 2020 deaths People from Richmond Hill, Queens Jewish American writers American Orthodox Jews American women non-fiction writers American spiritual writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers Writers from Queens, New York