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.
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