Paula Abdul to get Kotel bat mitzvah

American singer and reality show star to meet with President Shimon Peres; Beyonce may be planning 2014 performance

By Times of Israel staff

After a delay of of almost four decades, American singer and reality show star Paula Abdul, 51, will finally realize her dream of celebrating her bat mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Abdul, who became famous in the 1990s as a singer and more recently for her role on “American Idol” and “The X Factor,” is to arrive in Israel Monday as a guest of the Tourism Ministry and celebrate the milestone during this, her first visit to the country, according to a ministry statement.

While here Abdul is expected to tour major sites in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the Galilee.

She will also be meeting with President Shimon Peres and Tourism Minister Uzi Landau.

Abdul was born to Jewish parents and grew up in a Reform community. She has also been connected to the Los Angeles Chabad Rabbi Chaim Mentz and took part in a Chabad fundraiser last November in Toronto.

At the same time, speculation has ramped up that pop star Beyonce may plan an Israel concert in 2014.

Israeli production companies are reportedly battling to secure the potential show, which would likely take place at Tel Aviv’s Ganei Yehoshua, the only venue capable of holding some 50,000 concert-goers. There are no fewer than five candidates currently vying for the opportunity to cash in, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.