A friend of mine told me that Neil Gaiman learned Kabbalah from a Rabi. If this is so I have gained ten times more respect for him as I know that is a practice that requires a lot of dedication and disipline. It also shows hope for people like me who are writers and involved in mystical belief systems.

One thing I have noticed is that Neil Gaiman seems to promote a very relative point of view on religion in works like The Sandman and American Gods. As someone studying Cultural Anthropology, I feel this is a good thing. I always thought deeming ones religion false is very ethnocentric, because you are taking the foundation of a culture's beliefs, additudes, and behaviors, and saying it is invalid.

Can anyone direct me anywhere to where Neil might discuss his Jewish upbringing, involvement in Kabbalah, or his views on religion in general? It would be appreciated. The Sandman is one of the works of fiction that sparked my interest in mystical religions.

If you scroll down this "Thoughts about Neil " page, you'll find a thread titled "Religion", which might have the answers you are looking for.

Thank you for the info. I will surely look it up.