Kabbalah for school kids has critics

LOS ANGELES, April 14 (UPI) -- Critics say "Spirituality for Kids," a program created by Kabbalah Center International in Los Angeles, is bringing religion into the public schools.

"I think it breaches the separation between church and state," Margie Mulder, a guidance counselor at two Los Angeles elementary schools, told the Los Angeles Times. "I wouldn't send my children to the group."

Supporters say the program is non-sectarian and provides youngsters with tools that can help them in their lives. Kabbalah, a centuries-old form of Jewish mysticism, has recently gained celebrity adherents including Madonna and Ashton Kutchner.

"'Spirituality for Kids' is not religious," said Karen Timko, who directs elementary counselors for the Los Angeles Unified School District. "It's tools for navigating your life."

Karen Berg, who heads the Los Angeles center with her husband, Rabbi Philip Berg, developed the program in 2000. More than 4,000 Los Angeles school children have participated since 2006, along with thousands of other children around the world.