The Kabbalah Centre International is a non-profit organization 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 worldwide. The Kabbalah Centre's presentation of Kabbalah was developed by its director, Philip Berg, along with his wife, Karen Berg. Traditionally, rabbis in Europe believed that the mysteries of Kabbalah were so complex and so easily misunderstood that it could only be taught to devout students (mostly males) only after age 40. History The Kabbalah Centre was founded in the United States in July 1965 initially as a publishing house called "The National Institute for the Research in Kabbalah" by Philip Berg (born Feivel Gruberger) and Rabbi Levi Isaac Krakovsky. It is likely that Berg was encouraged by his Rebbe and former wife's uncle Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein to establish the publishing house to aid the funding of Brandwein's Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Brandwein was the dean of Yeshivah Kol Yehuda, his son Rabbi Abraham Bradwein succeeded him as the head of the Yeshivah. Kol Yehuda was founded in 1922 and continues to this day. The uniqueness of Kol Yehuda is that students focus on kabbalistic study. The students would receive a salary to cover their living expenses so they can devote themselves to full-time learning, however Brandwein faced difficulty in finding funds for the yeshiva and publishing. After Brandwein's death, and after several years in Israel, Philip Berg and his wife Karen Berg, re-established the independent U.S. Kabbalah Centre in New York City. This move happened due to the excommunication of Philip Berg by the entirety of the Ashlag Hassidic movement who deemed his teachings to be heretical. Yeshivah Kol Yehuda is located in Old City (Jerusalem) in the Jewish Quarter next to the Hurva synagogue. Kol Yehudah was the first Yeshivah established after the Old City of Jerusalem was gained by Israel in the 1967 war. The Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles was opened in 1984. After the death of Berg, Karen and Michael Berg acted as directors and spiritual teachers of the organization. They, like Philip Berg, have been excommunicated for heresy. The organization is a registered non-profit with over fifty branches worldwide, including major ones in Los Angeles, New York City, London and Toronto. Teachings Approach The Kabbalah Centre's approach to teaching is to start students with teachings of Kabbalah that do not