Jerusalem
Pop singer Madonna celebrated the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, much to the dismay of many Orthodox Jews. Madonna, who has recently converted to a New Age version of kabalah Judaism and taken a Hebrew name meaning Queen Esther, was visiting Israel for a conference of mostly Western kabalah devotees. When her entourage stopped at the Wailing Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, Orthodox worshipers yelled at her to go home and to stop desecrating their religion. Talk-radio host Uri Orbach mocked her on his popular show, saying, “This is entertainment, not Judaism.” But some Israeli officials said the Madonna visit was good for tourism.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why Turkey's Kurdish insurgents are laying down their armsUnder the Radar The PKK said its aims can now be 'resolved through democratic politics'
-
Book reviews: 'Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves' and 'Notes to John'Feature The aughts' toxic pop culture and Joan Didion's most private pages
-
The FDA plans to embrace AI agencywideIn the Spotlight Rumors are swirling about a bespoke AI chatbot being developed for the FDA by OpenAI
