‘Chabadnik’ Paula Abdul Gets Bat-Mitzvah at Kotel

Paula Abdul was in Israel this week for her first visit to the Jewish state, where she planned to celebrate her bat mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Abdul, 51, whose parents are Jewish, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport from Los Angeles on Oct. 27. She came as a guest of Israel’s Tourism Ministry and, in addition to the Western Wall coming-of-age ceremony, planned to fulfill another dream during her visit: a meeting with President Shimon Peres. She met with Peres at the president’s residence in Jerusalem the morning of Oct. 29.  She also expected to meet with Tourism Minister Uzi Landau.

The popular singer and dancer has said previously that she always felt proud of being Jewish. She was raised in a Reform community and strengthened her faith following a meeting with Rabbi Chaim Mentz, who established the Chabad center of Bel Air in Los Angeles.

In the summer of 2010, Abdul highlighted a video for Chabad’s ‘FridayLight’ Shabbos Candles campaign.

Abdul declared her desire to hold a bat mitzvah ceremony in Jerusalem on TV’s “American Idol,” where she served as a judge for a few seasons before moving to “The X Factor.”

About a year ago, during a Chabad fundraiser in Toronto, Abdul called herself “Chabadnik.”