Madonna the Jew
The week's news at a glance.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Ed Martin: The US attorney taking on Trump's enemies
In the Spotlight He advocated for Jan. 6 defendants. Now Martin leads D.C. prosecutions.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Hot to get older: extreme heat can make people age faster
Under the radar New research shows warming temperatures can affect biological age
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Codeword: March 13, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published