Kabbalah Centre Opens in Dupont

Dupont Circle now has a permanent location for teaching Jewish mysticism that has found devotees in Madonna and other celebrities.

The Kabbalah Centre opened an outpost at 1638 R St. NW this summer, student department manager Elisa Pittman told Borderstan. The location, the first Kabbalah Centre branch in D.C., is one of more than 40 offshoots of the organization in Los Angeles, London and other cities around the world.

Dedicated to passing on “universal wisdom that predates the Bible or religion and can be studied by anyone regardless of their faith or path,” the Kabbalah Centre offers classes, events and volunteering opportunities to a “global community of like-minded people on a spiritual path,” Pittman said.

Anyone can participate in the District branch’s activities or visit its bookstore, which sells Kabbalistic books and other publications.

“We’ve had a strong study group there for the past several years and the interest and desire of local people to connect to spirituality is growing stronger so we felt that it was a great time to expand and be able to accommodate that growth,” Pittman said.

The Dupont outpost is scheduled to have a grand opening celebration on Sunday, Sept. 18, with free food and lectures, as well as deals at its bookshop, according to a Facebook event post. The location that day also is collecting non-perishable food to donate to people in need.