UPDATED: MADONNA DISCUSSES PEACE PROCESS WITH SHIMON PERES

UPDATE: Madonna: I'm an 'ambassador for Judaism' (JPost)
JERUSALEM - Madonna toasted the Jewish new year with Israeli President Shimon Peres and declared herself an "ambassador for Judaism," local newspapers reported Sunday.

The singer, who is not Jewish, arrived in Israel Wednesday on the eve of Jewish new year to attend a conference on Kabbalah or Jewish mysticism.

Madonna met Peres at his official Jerusalem residence on Saturday evening and the two exchanged gifts, with Madonna receiving a lavishly bound copy of the Old Testament.

She gave Peres a volume of "The Book of Splendor," the guiding text of Kabbalah, inscribed "To Shimon Peres, the man I admire and love, Madonna," the Yediot Ahronot daily reported.

A Peres aide confirmed the meeting but had no details.

"You don't know how popular the Book of Splendor is among Hollywood actors," Yediot quoted Madonna as telling Peres. "Everyone I meet talks to me only about that. I am an ambassador for Judaism."

Madonna, who was raised a Roman Catholic, has taken the Hebrew name Esther, and has been seen wearing a red thread on her wrist in a Jewish tradition to ward off the evil eye.

But her interest in Kabbalah in recent years has been criticized by Orthodox Jews, who say it is an abomination.

Other celebrities who flew in for the Kabbalah conference included movie star Demi Moore and her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, Rosie O'Donnell and fashion designer Donna Karan. Madonna came with her film director husband Guy Ritchie.

The Haaretz daily quoted Kutcher as telling a group of Israeli businessmen and entertainers on Saturday that Kabbalah had answered fundamental questions in his life and made him a better actor.

Rabbis who specialize in Kabbalah have criticized the interest by non-Jewish celebrities in the subject.



Madonna meets President Shimon Peres (JPost)
If anyone doubted Madonna's transformation in recent years from a pop-star "Material Girl" to a Kabbala-inspired spiritual woman, the singer proved this weekend that her born-again attachment to Jewish culture and Israel is no passing fancy.

Madonna led an all-star delegation to a Kabbala conference in Tel Aviv on Friday to celebrate Rosh Hashana. The 49-year-old diva was seen singing Jewish songs with the crowd of hundreds at the David Intercontinental Hotel, where the conference on Jewish mysticism was held. At one point, she pressed another participant, apparently a friend, up to the front where he danced excitedly, making her and the crowd giggle and clap enthusiastically.

On Saturday night, Madonna and her film director husband, Guy Ritchie, traveled to Jerusalem and met with President Shimon Peres for nearly two hours at Beit Hanassi.

According to the president's spokeswoman, Peres and Madonna toasted the Jewish New Year together, and presented each other with gifts of holy books - Madonna received a copy of the Hebrew Bible, and the singer gave the president a copy of the Zohar, the mystical text that serves as the basis of Kabbala.

"The president and Madonna discussed how to advance the peace process, and conciliation and tolerance throughout the world," said presidential spokeswoman Ayelet Frish. "Madonna told the president she wants to promote those messages in her songs and books, and how important it was to educate children with those ideas. She also said that meeting President Peres and welcoming in the new Jewish year together with him was the fulfillment of a dream."