Target pulls ‘Kabbalah’ bracelets off its shelves

Target has stopped selling bracelets made popular by pop icon Madonna and other celebrities after a Jewish group said the item commercialized a sacred religious tradition.

The International Society for Sephardic Progress, a Florida-based advocacy group for Jews of Spanish descent, protested when the Target Corp. began selling a red string bracelet it called “Kabbalah Red String.”

In the Jewish mystical tradition, the string is believed to ward off evil.

Adherents wear the bracelets until they fall off – a period of time that they believe depends on the amount of evil the person is exposed to.

“The Jewish people should not allow the corporate exploitation of their religion,” said Shelomo Alfassa, executive director of the ISFSP.

“Judaism – as well as Kabbalah, which is an inherent part of our sacred tradition – is not for sale, period,” Alfassa said.