Despite her love for Kabballah, Maddona does not identify as Jewish, the pop legend told Ireland’s The Independent.
When asked to what extent would she would characterize herself Jewish? Madonna reportedly laughed the question off, saying “No, I don’t affiliate myself with any specific religious group.
I connect to different ritualistic aspects of different belief systems, and I see the connecting thread between all religious beliefs.”
Madonna elaborated on her theological outlook, saying that though she studied Kabbalah, and does follows many religious practices affiliated with Judaism, like observing the Shabbat and holding a bar mitzvah for her son, she has not converted.
“This appears like I’m Jewish, but these rituals are connected to what I describe as the Tree of Life consciousness and have more to do with the idea of being an Israelite, not Jewish,” she told The Independent.
“The tribes of Israel existed before the religion of Judaism existed, so you have to do your history . . . So, am I Jewish? I mean, some people would say, well, you do a lot of things that Jews do, but I would say I do a lot of things that people did before Judaism existed. And I believe what I practice has to do with something deeper than religion, that it embodies all religions, including Judaism. And Christianity. And Islam.”
The interviewer, Brian Hiatt, asked about her the cross she wore, to which the pop star answered: “I like crosses. I’m sentimental about Jesus on the cross.”
Delving into deeper theology, Madonna explained that “Jesus was a Jew, and … a catalyst, and I think he offended people because his message was to love your neighbor as yourself; in other words, no one is better than somebody else.
“He embraced all people, whether it was a beggar on the street or a prostitute, and he admonished a group of Jews who were not observing the precepts of the Torah. So he rattled a lot of people’s cages,” she said.
“A rebel heart, you might say,” the interviewer quipped, in a reference to her new album, which incidentally was leaked to the internet by an Israeli reality television star turned hacker.
