Paula Abdul, an award-winning singer, dancer, choreographer and TV personality, celebrated her belated bat-mitzvah in the mystical city of Safed this past weekend during her first trip to Israel, where she is reconnecting with her Jewish roots. The bat-mitzvah ceremony was led by Rabbi Eyal Riess, head of the International Center for Tzfat Kabbalah and took place at the 15th-century Abuhav Synagogue. During the ceremony, Abdul recited the Shema prayer next to the oldest Torah scroll in the world. "Beyond being Jewish, I've always found myself to be very much in tune with spirituality," the 51-year-old Abdul told The Associated Press. "I feel very grateful coming to Israel now, where as a woman I know who I am a lot more than even 10 years ago." An official guest of Israel's Tourism Ministry, Abdul has been touring the country and visiting holy sites, museums and markets in Jerusalem. Israeli President Shimon Peres also hosted the former Lakers Girl. Abdul said the trip has provided her a rare opportunity to experience the country like a "regular tourist" without the nonstop schedule of a concert tour. "I've traveled the world touring and things like that but I don't get the chance to see much of wherever I'm at," she said. Abdul described the visit as "the most magnificent trip I've ever taken ... magical and emotional." After a music career that saw her have six No. 1 singles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Abdul reinvented herself as quirky judge of talent on "American Idol." She left "Idol" in 2009 after eight seasons over a contract dispute. She later had one season as a judge on the U.S. version of "The X-Factor." She'll appear next year as a judge on Australia's version of "So You Think You Can Dance."
