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These days it seems like non-Jews all over the place are trying to take a piece of Jewish learning or history and make it their own. The problem is that in many cases they are copying Jews who just don’t understand the Torah foundation supporting the traditions. See the “Faux Mitzvah” — a party for 13-year-old Gentile children that skips the religious ceremony part. In some cases the non-Jews are being duped, as with Hollywood’s Kabbalah fad which turns sacred texts into little more than red string bracelets and “holy water.” There are those of the Jewish faith who will...

Madonna has joined Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his family in lighting Shabbat candles and reciting a blessing together with Netanyahu's wife Sarah. A statement from Netanyahu's office said the singer spent two hours at the Netanyahu home on Friday evening. Although not Jewish, the 51-year-old pop star claims a special bond with Israel and Jewish tradition. She's been exploring Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism, for more than a decade and has taken the Hebrew name, Esther.

Madonna Rocks Israel With Messages Of Love, Peace, Freedom By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Tel Aviv, Israel ---- September 3, 2009 ..... It had become a magical Odyssey for both Madonna and the Israel public. A much awaited "show" (Madonna does not like to use the term concert) to take place in HaYarkon Park, Tel Aviv in September 2009. At first, the Madonna appearance in Israel was not scheduled in the "Sticky & Sweet" world tour. A global production which started in the summer of 2008 and according to Madonna production company Live Nation and her associates at Warner...

Here is video of Madonna seemingly losing consciousness for a few seconds during a performance in Bulgaria yesterday. She was held up by another performer on stage until she seemed to come around again and continue with the performance. She reportedly passed out again after leaving the stage. . . . . (Watch Video)

One is a pop icon and the other a former contender for the post of Israel's prime minister — but Madonna and Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni appear to have found a lot to talk about. Madonna is in Israel for concerts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Livni's spokesman Gil Messing says the two women dined for more than two hours late Monday at the singer's request. Both wore short-sleeved black dresses and embraced as they emerged from a Tel Aviv restaurant. Messing says the pair decided to keep the content of the conversation private. He said Livni "was very impressed...

Madonna and her entourage splashed into Israel for two shows, but leading Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Batzri expressed sorrow that Israelis put out the red carpet for the non-Jewish star who dabbles in Kabbalah. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Opposition leader Tzipi Livni are among those who will meet Madonna, a Roman Catholic who has adopted the Jewish name “Esther.”

Madonna Booed During Romanian Concert Over Gypsy Remark August 28, 2009 7:13 a.m. EST Anne Lu - Celebrity News Service News Writer Bucharest, Romania (CNS) - Madonna's stance on equality was not warmly received in Romania. The pop superstar was booed during a concert after she mentioned discrimination of gypsies and homosexuals in the country. She told the "Sticky and Sweet" concert crowd in Bucharest, "I've never been to Romania before and I am happy to be here." "But I found out that there is a lot of discrimination against gypsies in Eastern Europe and that makes me very sad,...

Madonna fans are being urged to stay away from her forthcoming Sticky and Sweet tour date in Bulgaria by the country's Orthodox Church. Church of Bulgaria officials have accused the star of showing a "lack of respect" for church rituals. They expressed their "disapproval and disagreement" with her planned show this Saturday in the Bulgarian capital. The concert, at Sofia's Vasil Levski Stadium, is expected to be attended by about 50,000 people.

<p>The singer, 50, is known for religiously following a strict two-hour daily workout, but the effects have been dramatic, even by her standards. Not an inch of fat was evident on her gym-honed body as she was pictured leaving a London restaurant with Brazilian boyfriend Jesus Luz, 22.</p>

No, the material mom and pop superstar isn't toting AK47s to Malawi, Manhattan and beyond. Madonna's weapons of choice are her buff-beyond-belief biceps. Recent images of the singer display a double-barreled mass of sinewy veins that strike fear in the hearts of paparazzi and raise questions in the heads of fans and critics: How and why does a 50-year-old woman get her arms to look like that? "Oftentimes when your body fat is really, really, low, as Madonna's is, you're going to see veins pop," explained Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Her...

RNS-DIGEST-JUNE19 Warsaw, Poland (RNS/ENI) Roman Catholics here are trying to stop a Madonna concert planned for the day the church celebrates the assumption into heaven of Mary, the mother of Jesus. “To make money by holding a concert on such a day by a singer with such a name is ethically dubious,” said Grzegorz Kalwarczyk, chancellor of the Warsaw archdiocese. “Although it will probably go ahead, it is not surprising that people are voicing dissatisfaction, and protesting.” Madonna’s concert in the Polish capital is planned for August 15, which is a public holiday,

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Madonna can get "Mercy," Malawi's highest court ruled Friday. The court overruled a lower court, saying the pop star can adopt 3-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James. "I am ecstatic," Madonna said in a statement in which she also thanked the court. "My family and I look forward to sharing our lives with her." Madonna's lawyer Alan Chinula said he would now arrange a passport for Chifundo, which could take several days, and was awaiting word from Madonna on travel plans for the girl. James Kambewa, a man who claims to be the little girl's father, told CBS...

MADONNA is set to commit to Jesus Luz, a 22-year-old model, in a Kabbalah wedding ceremony this weekend. Mr Luz's father told Brazil's Quem magazine the commitment ceremony would take place in New York. "He is already living with her," Luiz Heitor Pinto da Luz said of his son's union with the 50-year-old pop star. "I don't know if there will be an actual wedding. From what I have read, there could be a sort of ritual, but I don't know Kabbalah ... to know if it's valid and legal.' The couple met in Rio de Janeiro in December during...

Madonna and Jesus Luz are getting married. The Brazilian model's father Luis Heitor Pinto da Luz has revealed the couple are planning a Kabbalah ceremony to have their union recognized by the mystical Jewish faith followed by the 50-year-old singer. However, their union will not be legally binding. Luis said: "The Kabbalah ceremony in New York that will link up my son Jesus Luz and Madonna only confirms that he is extremely happy."

With earnings of $110 million in 2008, Madonna topped Forbes' list of Hollywood's hardest working mothers, followed by actresses Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow. The pop singer and mother of three, who was recently turned down in her bid to adopt a second child from Malawi, grossed $105 million on her tour and sold nearly a million albums in the United States. Madonna also signed several lucrative endorsement deals last year, according to Forbes.com.

Madonna falls from horse in NY, gets bruised Saturday, April 18, 2009 New York (AP) -- Madonna has taken a tumble while horseback riding in New York's Hamptons and has suffered "minor injuries" and bruises. A spokeswoman says the pop star fell Saturday afternoon when the horse was startled by paparazzi who "jumped out of the bushes" to photograph her. Spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg says Madonna was treated at a Southampton hospital and was released. She won't disclose more details on the singer's condition. Rosenberg says the singer of such pop classics as "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl" had been...

Pop superstar Madonna has reached out to the victims of the recent earthquake in Italy - donating a substantial sum to the ongoing rescue effort in area where her "ancestors" are from. The country's Abruzzo region was struck by tremors on Monday, killing over 200 people. The town of Pacentro, where Madonna's paternal grandparents lived until 1919, was severely affected by the disaster, prompting the region's mayor to appeal to the singer for help. And Madonna has responded by donating a $500,000 (£345,000) sum to the relief effort, according to People.com. The star says in a statement, "I am happy...

LILONGWE, Malawi – In a surprise move, a judge on Friday rejected Madonna's request to adopt a second child from Malawi and said it would set a dangerous precedent to bend rules requiring that prospective parents live here for some period. The country's child welfare minister had come out Thursday in support of the pop superstar's application to adopt 3-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James. But in a lengthy ruling Friday, Judge Esme Chombo sided with critics who have said exceptions should not be made for the star who has set up a major development project for this impoverished, AIDS-stricken southern African...

Controversy Stirs As Madonna Applies For Adoption Of Second Malawian Child: A court official in the African nation of Malawi says Madonna has applied to adopt another orphan...If she wins … controversy. If she loses ... embarrassment. And either way, the welfare of a child in the balance.

[photo of Madonna and Britney kissing, read the funny caption!] Take that, Miss Smartypants Angelina Jolie. Madonna says she might just adopt another poor child from Malawi. And if she’s in a good mood, she might even get the permission of the child’s family first this time. Some cold-hearted critics accused the Malawian government of playing fast and loose with the nation’s adoption laws when it allowed Madonna to adopt David Banda. Reuters reported Madonna’s reaction:......