WEST BANK/ISRAEL: DEMONSTRATORS HOLD PROTESTS AHEAD OF POP DIVA MADONNA'S VISIT TO RACHEL'S TOMB IN BETHLEHEM

Record ID: 322926

  • Title: WEST BANK/ISRAEL: DEMONSTRATORS HOLD PROTESTS AHEAD OF POP DIVA MADONNA'S VISIT TO RACHEL'S TOMB IN BETHLEHEM
  • Date: 15th September 2004
  • Summary: (EU) BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (SEPTEMBER 15, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF PROTESTERS AT SITE OF RACHEL'S TOMB HOLDING PEACE SIGN 0.07 2. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SINGING "DON'T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA" (3 SHOTS) 0.23 3. SOUNDBITE (English) PROTESTER MATT ROBSON, SAYING: "Rachel's tomb is a site that's holy for Jews, Muslims and indeed some Christians
  • Embargoed: 30th September 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK / TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVA3YDAASGE2HG6ZE7TNL4NQQA3X
  • Story Text: Protesters at Rachel's tomb ahead of Madonna visit.


    Fresh from her acclaimed "Re-Invention" tour, pop
    idol Madonna embarks on Wednesday (September 15) on a
    spiritual pilgrimage to Israel to practice her newfound
    faith in the mystical Jewish Kabbalah.

    Madonna, who recently adopted the Hebrew name Esther
    and wears a trademark Kabbalah red string on her wrist, has
    said she is serious about her belief in Jewish mysticism.

    Her schedule was expected to include a visit to graves
    of Jewish sages in northern Israel as well as shrines such
    as Rachel's Tomb on the edge of Bethlehem, the traditional
    burial place of the biblical matriarch Rachel.

    Pro-Palestinian activists planned to protest if Madonna
    visited the shrine in the occupied West Bank, signalling
    that the controversy might become political and not just
    religious.

    At Rachel's tomb, the scene of fierce gun battles early
    in the four-year-old Palestinian revolt, soldiers
    positioned behind sandbags tightened security ahead of
    Madonna's expected visit.

    A group of peace activists used the opportunity to raise
    awareness about the site.

    "Rachel's tomb is a site that's holy for Jews, Muslims
    and indeed some Christians consider it holy also. But at
    the moment it's very difficult for Muslims to come and
    visit," said Matt Robson, a member of the Ecumenical
    Accompaniment Programme, part of the World Council of
    Churches.

    "We know according to Kabbalah that that place is an
    energy vortex. It's like a fountain of energy for
    protection," said Rabbi Shaul Yudkevich, from the Kabbalah
    Centre in Israel.

    In Judaism, Kabbalah means literally "what has been
    handed down" -- writings dating to the Middle Ages and oral
    teachings which are held by the faithful to describe the
    true nature of God and man and reveal the secrets of
    Creation.

    But the Catholic-bred singer's journey is likely to
    raise controversy among some ultra-Orthodox Jews afraid the
    growing popularity of the movement among non-Jews is
    nothing more than a trend that demeans their religious
    beliefs.

    "I think everybody knows that if you're really doing
    something somebody must be opposing it. And it's only
    natural. It's part of the game of life," Yudkevich said, in
    Madonna's defence.

    Madonna, whose itinerary was kept under wraps for
    security reasons, was expected to celebrate the Jewish New
    Year, Rosh Hashana, at a luxury hotel in Tel Aviv with
    about 2,000 fellow Kabbalists from the Los Angeles-based
    Kabbalah Centre.


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