It’s the big news in Jewish media this week that TV personality and entertainer Paula Abdul will be celebrating her bat mitzvah at the Kotel in Israel, about four decades late. Abdul was born to Jewish parents and in recent years reconnected to her roots.
In the Holy Land, Abdul is best known as the American Idol judge, which could have aided in getting her an interview at the residence of President Shimon Peres.
It’s uncommon to have visitors interviewed the president’s premises, but after Adbul and the crews upon crews of media arrived on scene the protocol was broken. Abdul was escorted in by the Ministry of Tourism. Isaac Herog, former Minister of Tourism, invited Abdul to Israel seven years ago but she never made the trip.
Using some Hebrew lingo, Abdul said to the press about Peres:
I hear he’s sababa,” which means cool or great.
Abdul asked Peres, “Can you dance?” but he ignored the questions according to the Jerusalem Post.