Phoenix
15th July 2010, 01:07 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/07/15/2010-07-15_govs_strung_out_wary_of_evil_forces_and_gopers_ paterson_gives_kabbalah_charm_a_s.html
Gov. Paterson turns to higher power [sic] by wearing red string kabbalah bracelet to ward off evil
BY Celeste Katz
NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
Thursday, July 15th 2010, 8:31 AM
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/07/15/alg_paterson_bracelet.jpg
Gov. David Paterson is giving kabbalah charm a shot, just like Material Girl Madonna (b.).
Groll/AP
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/07/15/amd_madonna_bracelet.jpg
Devaney/WireImage
Gov. Paterson is counting on a Madonna-blessed higher power to lead him out of the mess in Albany.
The lame-duck governor has begun wearing a red string kabbalah bracelet - just like the Material Girl - in an eyebrow-raising bid to deflect ill will.
"It was explained to the governor that the red string is a symbol of protection [that] wards off problems and tribulations," Paterson spokesman Morgan Hook said.
"His attitude was that he'll take all the help he can get."
Paterson could be forgiven for turning to a little divine protection.
In the past six months he's found himself under investigation, dumped his reelection bid as a result, and wrestled with the Legislature over the state budget.
So he's apparently trying his luck with the trendy talisman favored by followers of the mystical Jewish discipline. But unlike Madonna, Demi Moore and Britney Spears, Paterson is not yet one of the devoted, a spokesman said.
"Kabbalah didn't change his life, just to be clear here," Hook said.
Either way, Paterson may not be getting all the spiritual backup he hopes for - the bracelet is customarily worn on the left wrist, while the governor is seen in photos wearing it on his right.
Paterson's spiritual shift was set in motion this spring when the Catholic-raised pol visited the Queens burial site of a venerated rabbi.
It was at the Union Field Cemetery in Ridgewood, housing the body of Rabbi Jacob Joseph, who died in 1902 and whose tomb has become a sacred site visited by thousands of Jews, that Paterson learned about the little red string.
Kabbalah followers believe that the $26 bracelet wards off the "evil eye" and brings about good fortune.
It appears to be the accessory of choice for high-profile New Yorkers facing controversy.
Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez sported a red kabbalah string on his left wrist last year when he confessed in a TV interview to using steroids. At the time, A-Rod was linked to Madonna.
Kabbalah teachings date back 4,000 years.
According to the Kabbalah Centre's Web site, its "sages have taught that every human being is born with the potential for greatness. Kabbalah is the means for activating that potential."
The exact date Paterson began wearing the red string isn't clear, but may have been around February when he came under scrutiny for having intervened in a domestic-violence case involving his former top aide, David Johnson.
ckatz@nydailynews.com
Gov. Paterson turns to higher power [sic] by wearing red string kabbalah bracelet to ward off evil
BY Celeste Katz
NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
Thursday, July 15th 2010, 8:31 AM
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/07/15/alg_paterson_bracelet.jpg
Gov. David Paterson is giving kabbalah charm a shot, just like Material Girl Madonna (b.).
Groll/AP
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/07/15/amd_madonna_bracelet.jpg
Devaney/WireImage
Gov. Paterson is counting on a Madonna-blessed higher power to lead him out of the mess in Albany.
The lame-duck governor has begun wearing a red string kabbalah bracelet - just like the Material Girl - in an eyebrow-raising bid to deflect ill will.
"It was explained to the governor that the red string is a symbol of protection [that] wards off problems and tribulations," Paterson spokesman Morgan Hook said.
"His attitude was that he'll take all the help he can get."
Paterson could be forgiven for turning to a little divine protection.
In the past six months he's found himself under investigation, dumped his reelection bid as a result, and wrestled with the Legislature over the state budget.
So he's apparently trying his luck with the trendy talisman favored by followers of the mystical Jewish discipline. But unlike Madonna, Demi Moore and Britney Spears, Paterson is not yet one of the devoted, a spokesman said.
"Kabbalah didn't change his life, just to be clear here," Hook said.
Either way, Paterson may not be getting all the spiritual backup he hopes for - the bracelet is customarily worn on the left wrist, while the governor is seen in photos wearing it on his right.
Paterson's spiritual shift was set in motion this spring when the Catholic-raised pol visited the Queens burial site of a venerated rabbi.
It was at the Union Field Cemetery in Ridgewood, housing the body of Rabbi Jacob Joseph, who died in 1902 and whose tomb has become a sacred site visited by thousands of Jews, that Paterson learned about the little red string.
Kabbalah followers believe that the $26 bracelet wards off the "evil eye" and brings about good fortune.
It appears to be the accessory of choice for high-profile New Yorkers facing controversy.
Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez sported a red kabbalah string on his left wrist last year when he confessed in a TV interview to using steroids. At the time, A-Rod was linked to Madonna.
Kabbalah teachings date back 4,000 years.
According to the Kabbalah Centre's Web site, its "sages have taught that every human being is born with the potential for greatness. Kabbalah is the means for activating that potential."
The exact date Paterson began wearing the red string isn't clear, but may have been around February when he came under scrutiny for having intervened in a domestic-violence case involving his former top aide, David Johnson.
ckatz@nydailynews.com