Stop losing sleep over your tax situation. I'm Darrin Mish \u2014 a tax attorney in Tampa who's spent 32 years handling exactly this kind of problem. Here's what you need to know.<\/p>\n
Kabbalah Closure of Children\u2019s Charity unrelated to Tax Investigation<\/p>\n
The Kabbalah Center, a spiritual organization focusing on ancient Jewish texts said to hold the secrets of the universe, will be closing its children\u2019s charity, Success for Kids (SFK). \u00a0SFK, a 10 year-old nonprofit organization for children, will shut its program in American schools at the end of the present school term. \u00a0According to Michal Berg, the SFK President, this is due to larger than expected overhead costs associated with translating the religious organization\u2019s lessons into a nondenominational curriculum.
\nIn a letter to supporters explaining the impending closure, Berg stated, \u201cThe reality is that the current public school expansion strategy is not cost-effective and it is difficult to scale the program to impact more children.\u201d \u00a0However, the letter made no mention of the federal grand jury investigation into Kabbalah Center\u2019s alleged tax evasion.<\/a>
\nRecently, a federal grand jury in New York issued a subpoena seeking information about the Center, the charity and the Berg family that runs the center. \u00a0Kabbalah Center spokesman Mark Fabiani denied there was any connection between the closure of SFK and the grand jury subpoena to the Center.
\nSFK was formerly known as Spirituality for Kids and runs classes in about 40 schools across the nation. \u00a0It encountered objections from parents who accused it of being quasi-religious. \u00a0Berg\u2019s letter said instead of running classes, SFK would set up a free website and continue sharing its curriculum from it.
\nSFK began as a Kabbalah-focused private grade school housed next to the Center\u2019s Robertson Boulevard headquarters in Los Angeles. \u00a0It eventually grew to include other programs, including a charity for African children called Raising Malawi, headed by Madonna, the center\u2019s most famous follower. \u00a0Raising Malawi is also presently under IRS investigation.
\nBesides Madonna, other celebrities who have donated to Kabbalah Center\u2019s activities include Babra Streisand, Donna Karan, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.<\/p>\n