President Peres meets judge Abdul
While exploring her Jewish roots in Israel, American singer-dancer Paula Abdul stops by President's Residence in Jerusalem. 'I know already when I have to leave I won't want to,' she says
Yes, it's a known fact that every celebrity arriving in Israel has some important stops on his or her itinerary – a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, a tour of the holy Western Wall, a dip in the Dead Sea, and of course a meeting with the country's No. 1 citizens, Shimon Peres.
The meeting, which was scheduled to last 20 minutes, was prolonged after sparks started flying between the two. Abdul told Peres about her relatives in Israel, who were excited over her first visit to the Holy Land, and said it was her first vacation outside the United States in eight years.
Abdul arrived in Israel as a guest of the Tourism Ministry. In recent years, she has begun exploring her Jewish identity and showing a great interest in her Jewish roots.
I hear you're a 'sababa' president (Photo: Yosef Avi Yair Engel)
"I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude to be here," Abdul said. "I've wanted to come for years. My career took me many places and this is my first vacation in almost eight years that I'm actually here to sightsee like a regular tourist... I know already when I have to leave I won't want to."
Peres presented the American singer with a bottle of local olive oil as a gift. Abdul responded by flirting with the president, telling him she heard he was a "sababa" (cool) president.
Oh, you're killing me! (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)
After the meeting, Abdul visited the Israel Museum, followed by a tasting tour of the Mahane Yehuda market, where she was warmly greeted by locals and tourists alike.
Abdul, 51, was born in Los Angeles to Jewish parents. Her father is a Syrian who grew up in Brazil, and her mother is a Canadian Jews. She began her dancing career at the age of eight, and later served as a cheerleader and head choreographer of the Los Angeles Lakers' cheerleaders club.
After becoming a popular choreographer, working with Janet Jackson among others, she launched a successful singing career in the 1980s. Starting in 2002, she served as one of three judges for reality television music competition show "American Idol" for eight seasons, and then joined the judging panel of "The X Factor" for one season.
