Mystical girl on retreat in Israel
Madonna arrived in Israel on the eve of the Jewish New Year yesterday for a five-day spiritual pilgrimage to explore her interest in kabbala mysticism.
The Catholic-bred Material Girl – who has adopted the Hebrew name Esther and wears a red kabbala string on her wrist – is joining 2,000 other kabbala students from 22 countries, including Marla Maples and Donna Karan, at a religious conference, according to the Los Angeles-based Kabbalah Center.
Israeli radio reported Britney Spears, another kabbala follower, will be joining the group, but that was denied by organizers of the trip.
Around 1,000 police are assigned to protect the kabbalists, but officials said Madonna, who arrived with husband Guy Ritchie and her entourage last night, had her own security detail.
Israel’s Tourism Ministry, which stands to reap millions of dollars worth of publicity, is helping finance the trip, which includes stops at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem and the town of Safed, the historical home of kabbalah.
“There’s no question having stars in the country is a wonderful way to show the world the wonders of our nation,” said Rami Levi of Israel’s Tourism Ministry.
Tourism Minister Gidon Ezar will present Madonna, Karan and other VIPs with gifts at a ceremony on Sunday.
Madonna‘s trip is designed to rejuvenate her spiritually, said Rabbi Shaul Youdkevitch, head of the Kabbala Center in Israel.
“These are energy vortexes,” he said of her itinerary. “It is known among kabbalists, among people that study kabbala, that you can go there and recharge yourself with positive energy.”
Madonna arrived by private jet last night and checked into a luxury Tel Aviv hotel suite, which overlooks the Mediterranean. It’s also located across the street from the site of a disco where more than 20 Israelis were killed by a homicide bomber in 2001.
Israel will be on a high security alert through Yom Kippur – Sept. 25 – because of expected attempts at retaliation for anti-terrorist sweeps in the last two weeks.
In the latest sweeps, nine suspected terrorists were killed in the West Bank towns of Nablus and Jenin yesterday.
Article by Uri Dan, The New York Post