Israel: Paula Abdul, jet-lagged, ditches Jerusalem holy site for private religious ceremony
JERUSALEM - Israel's Tourism Ministry says Paula Abdul has scaled back a Bat Mitzvah ceremony that she'd originally planned to hold at Judaism's holiest site.
The normally tireless TV personality came to Israel to connect to her Jewish roots and for a Bat Mitzvah, the coming-of-age ceremony girls typically have at age 12 or 13.
But the ministry, which is hosting Abdul, said Tuesday that she made last-minute changes to her packed itinerary because she's jet-lagged.
The ministry says Abdul was planning to hold a high-profile ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, but instead had a private weekend affair in the northern town of Safed.
Officiating Rabbi Eyal Riess of the Tzfat Kabbalah Center says Abdul wanted to escape the media circus for a more intimate ceremony.
Abdul was not immediately available for comment.
