[Prussian]

Madonna's Hotel Kabbalah?



Fri Jun 10, 5:55 PM ET

Apparently, Madonna's devotion to Kabbalah is carrying over into the hospitality field.

If the Material Girl gets her way, she'll soon be building a Kabbalah-themed hotel and drop-in center in London's Regent Park district.

The singer has reportedly dropped $2.9 million on a five-story Georgian mansion that she plans to convert into a getaway for her fellow devotees of the religious sect. However, neighbors of the proposed project are reportedly less than enthused at the prospect of a Kabbalah center in the neighborhood.

"Having a Kabbalah center would be totally inappropriate," one resident told London's Evening Standard. "It is a seriously manipulative sect which is very good at getting people's money, including Madonna's."
Madonna, who's known as Esther in Kabbalah circles, has already spent $6.5 million on a headquarters for the sect in London's West End and is at work on a multimillion-dollar New York center.

Kabbalah, a controversial mystical offshoot of Judaism, has won many high-profile followers, including Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.


Madonna, who was raised Catholic, is emphatic that her devotion to Kabbalah has not damaged her career.

"I do know that there's cynicism involved but I accept it because it's different," the "Like a Prayer" singer told NBC. "It's something new to people and people are always guarded and suspicious of things that are new."

Proving her dedication to her faith, Madonna featured Kabbalah images on her re-Invention Tour last year and has published a series of kiddie books featuring themes from the religion's teachings. Her fifth and final book, Lotsa de Casha, was released stateside this week, prompting a series of interviews and a 15-page cover story for the July issue of Ladies' Home Journal, which will hit newsstands on Tuesday.

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