Philip Berg
Also known as: Shraga Feivel Gruberger · Rav Berg
Summary
Founder of the Kabbalah Centre International; born Shraga Feivel Gruberger in Brooklyn, 1927.
Definition
Rabbi Philip Berg (born Shraga Feivel Gruberger, August 20, 1927, Brooklyn) founded the Kabbalah Centre International. After early rabbinic ordination, he worked as a life insurance agent for New York Life before re-entering Kabbalah through his first wife Rivkah Brandwein (niece of Rabbi Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein). He claimed succession to Yeshivah Kol Yehuda after Brandwein's 1969 death; the Brandwein family rejected and expelled him. Mainstream Orthodox leaders condemned him as a fraud. He suffered a stroke in 2004 and died September 16, 2013, in Safed, Israel. No verified public record of IDF service exists despite institutional rumors.
Background & History
Brooklyn Orthodox upbringing; ordained in early twenties; life insurance career before Kabbalah
Operational Role in the Network
Founder and absolute spiritual leader of Kabbalah Centre until 2004 stroke
Documented Actions & Evidence
Succession claim rejected
Brandwein family definitively rejected Berg's claim to succeed Rabbi Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein as dean of Yeshivah Kol Yehuda, expelling him from their institutional orbit.
Built Kabbalah Centre empire
Transformed KCI from insular Orthodox institution into mass-market global spiritual empire targeting Hollywood elite. Commodified Lurianic Kabbalah, traditionally reserved for married Jewish men over 40.
Civil lawsuits for plagiarism
Faced numerous civil lawsuits for plagiarizing the written work of other established Kabbalah scholars.
Timeline
Born Shraga Feivel Gruberger in Brooklyn, NY
Rabbinic ordination; worked as life insurance agent at New York Life
Founded Kabbalah Centre (originally The National Institute for Research in Kabbalah)
Claimed succession to Yeshivah Kol Yehuda after Rabbi Brandwein's death; Brandwein family rejected and expelled him
Reorganized KCI with Karen Berg to target secular gentiles and Hollywood elite
Suffered debilitating stroke; Karen Berg assumed CEO role
Died in Safed, Israel
Aliases & Alternative Names
Primary Sources
- FINDINGS FROM research-prompts4.md.pdf (R4-P1)