Liz Rosenberg and Gucci setting the record straight
Madonna’s publicist Liz Rosenberg set the record straight after the reports of Fox News from last Wednesday, where they claimed that Madonna was conning both UNICEF and Gucci into helping her raise money for the Kabbalah Centre through the charity event they will host at the United Nations next month.
On Wednesday Fox News published another of their unbiased and always supportive reports on Madonna, claiming that her Raising Malawi charity is no other than a front for the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles, and thus implied that Gucci’s Feb. 6 benefit to aid UNICEF and Raising Malawi ultimately benefits the Kabbalah Centre.
“I think that the claims in the story are outrageous, they are incorrect, inaccurate, hurtful and malicious” Liz Rosenberg, told Women’s Wear Daily.
“The reality is – and it’s never been a secret – that the Raising Malawi organization was cofounded by Madonna and Michael Berg, who is one of the spearheading executives of the Kabbalah organization. The Raising Malawi organization is completely separate from the Kabbalah, and they are run as two separate organizations.”
The report from Fox news went a little further suggesting Raising Malawi had plans to indoctrinate “unsuspecting Malawi orphans into their brand of mysticism,” having flown in teachers from Malawi to Los Angeles to “retrofit them for Kabbalah.”
“There are no religious lessons being taught to the children of Malawi,” Rosenberg said of those claims.
“It’s tragic, because Madonna has put her passion and love and money behind a project that is saving children’s lives, giving them food, health care and schooling. The money that is being raised at the Gucci benefit is being divided between UNICEF and Raising Malawi.”
Liz also added that the funds raised at the benefit are earmarked for the building of a girls’ school in Malawi and that “there is a board, where accountability will be very clear and very specific, and all funds will be accounted for”.
Also Gucci, the co-host of the February event, issued a statement refuting the claims:
“The accusations are not true. By agreement with Raising Malawi, the gifts and donations dedicated to Raising Malawi from this event will go directly to Raising Malawi, which is a legally distinct entity from the Kabbalah Centre or from any religious organization. Proceeds from this event are specifically allocated to support programs for orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, including the building of a girls’ academy in Malawi.”
From an article on WWD.com.