Celebrity Watch: Britney Spears Converting To Judaism

Pop star seen sporting Star of David necklace. Boyfriend is Jewish, engagement rumored.

ABC News reports:

Britney Spears can't settle on a religion. The pop star was most recently spotted July 7, 2009, sporting a simple Star of David, reported PopEater.com. The comeback queen has had a variety of religious dabblings over the years, including Kabbalah and Hinduism, despite her Baptist roots. But this sighting has fueled Internet rumors that Spears may be engaged to her latest and, perhaps, most wholesome boyfriend, Jason Trawick, who happens to be Jewish.

Perhaps Spear's motivation for conversion is more wholesome than ABC thinks

Rather than converting for marriage, perhaps she is converting out of a love for Judaism and Kabbalah, breathed into her by her friend and role model Madonna those long years ago:

 

And, indeed, Spear's love for Judaism – and especially haredim – is well known, as this ad from 2004 shows:

 

Welcome home, Britney. We're here to greet you – and your Jewish soul – with open arms.

How about a hug?

Comments

[Yossel]

What can one say but- oy!

[Asa]

Oh, good God.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Apologies to Britney:

Oy!
... I did it again.
I played with your neshome.
Got lost in the spiel.
Oy, bubbeleh.
Oy!
... You think I'm a ger.
That I'm sent from New Square...
I'm not that innocent.

[Yochanan Lavie]

I feel sorry for Britney. She obviously suffers from mental illness. Hopefully Judaism will give her the peace she is seeking, as long as she doesn't get caught up in the negative politics of it. I love it, despite the meshugas. But she should still get professional help- converting to a new religion won't solve all her problems.

[Asa]

YL: you're a RIOT! That just made my day.

[Hometown Postville]

Ah yes! The poster child of virtue!

[Yossel]

If that photo is typical, her interpretation of tznius is quite -compelling.

[Alana]

I have a feeling that this conversion may not last, but I'll be happy for her if the opposite occurs

[critical_minyan]

chabad would convert her because she has cash, if she wasnt so notorious.
every time she talks about judaism her poor boyfriend probably wants to shoot himself in the head.

[ah-pee-chorus]

how long before shmuley boteach tries to latch on (figuratively) for publicity.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Thanks, Asa.

[justayid]

madonna never did convert, did she?

[Yochanan Lavie]

justayid: Madonna is a gentile devotee of kabbalah. I don't even think she considers herself Jewish.

[steve]

Maybe Tropper will give her a celebrity discount.

[FirstGenerationBavarianAmerican]

About six years ago I was in Munich and listening to one of the German pop radio stations (not AFN). The DJ's were going on-and-on with Britney publicity. I don't know if they got that clap trap off the internet or from a record plugger. But she was thousands of miles away from there at the time. Anything to get her name before the public to push her business ventures.

[Dave Marshall]

You know, just think, even if we all agree that Britney Spears is "not too swift", who knows if she converts to Judaism, she has a child or children by Jason Trawick (or one of her 2 sons with Kevin Federline converts to Judaism), and one of them grows up to be a great talmid hakham or talmida hakhama (?), or eshet hayil/ eshes chayil, wouldn't that be great? If we genuinely welcome her into Judaism, what I have just said becomes a possibility. If we do not welcome her, we have will have certainly cut off a possible future generation of Jews/ Jewesses who will be genuine.
We have to take a long term view of this conversion thing. We must never give up.
That's why I say, bring it on- Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist conversion, even more so Karaite conversion (they're way more traditional than R, R, or C), even Samaritan conversion- once they're "in the building" of Torah, then they can be influenced/ "mekarev"-ed to become Orthodox Jews. If they're not even "in the building", it's not going to happen.

[Dave Marshall]

The reason for promoting conversions is that we such are a tiny group (0.22 percent of the world'd current population) and shrinking. When you're at 0.22 percent, quality is not a substitute for quantity.
0.22 percent is in the "irrelevancy zone".
If we do not influence others, others will influence us, and in fact they already do.

[The Monsey Tzadik]

Maybe Tropper will give her a celebrity discount

Yes, wait til the next EJF conference where she is going to give a drasha in front of all those rabbis asking r' Reuven Feinstein to hit her one more time...

I am sure with celebrity Tropper would not mind if she still wears pants

[Yochanan Lavie]

Re: Monsey: Tropper would be the one who "pants."

Re: Dave Marshall: I hope don't sound superficial, but a high-profile convert can make Judaism seem cool, to both born-Jews and potential converts. That is a good thing; Judaism is often viewed as quaint or corny. We do need more people, and turning our women into 12 child baby factories is not the answer.

[The Monsey Tzadik]

YL,

The problem is tghat Tropper who like to hit his wifes (the former and current) when Britney sings ‘Hit Me Baby One more Time’ he will take it literally…

[Yochanan Lavie]

Monsey: ROTFLMAO!

[Dr. Dave]

Brad Pitt plays a southern Jew killing Nazis in Tarentinos new movie.

Now just imagine...

Pitt gets tired of Angelina Jolie trying to complete her set of orphans of the world (one from every UN member nation).

He leaves her to find himself.

Instead he finds Brittney and Judaism.

Think of all the blond - blue eyed photogenic little Jews running around.

It would be the ultimate revenge on Hitler.

[Dave Marshall]

Yochanan, I agree with you.
Actually, I feel that in the last several years, many Jewish people in the U.S.A. and Canada have played the "ethnic" card basically saying without saying the following "the Jewish people- we're not controversial- we're not even really a religion- we're just a bunch of ethnic people that like funny foods and have a good sense of humour, and we've have some cousins/ ancestors that wear funny clothes from eastern Europe- you know, just like your ancestors wore funny clothes from Italy or England or Scotland".
Now that entire strategy, while it may have deflected anti-Semitism away from us, has been found to have been disastrous for us spiritually and ethically. However, there is hope. After tossing the "ethnic/ tribal" model of the Jewish people, maybe we can start studying things that really matter, like Torah and Mussar, and behaving ethically toward all. Then we'll really be on our way.

[Itchiemayer]

My friends, Dave Marshall and the Levite - I don't put any importance on whether we are .22 percent or 50.22 percent of the population. I am against letting people in for convenience, as in for the sake of marriage. If you are not committed, I don't want you. Additionally, I don't care if your name is Trump or Spears, we already have high profile converts - Ruth and Jethro to name a few. I'll take a pass on the Trumpess and the Spears. I already hear the snide remarks about how the Israeli Rabbinate would annul the conversions of Rus and Yisro. Fortunately, they didn't get the chance.

[Dave Marshall]

Itchie, you don't realize my friend.
In Poland the Jews were 10 percent of the population. In Morocco the Jews were 10 percent of the population. Those are the largest proportions we ever got to.
In the U.S.A. the Jews are 2 or 3 percent of the population.
The problem is that our population is not just 0.22 % of the world, it's also SHRINKING.
We do not know what goes on in the hearts of people. Only Hashem does. Can we really say "Oh Britney or Ivanka are just doing it to get married". Yes for the moment, but who knows, maybe in the course of time, they might genuinely realize that Judaism is worthwhile and its observances give meaning to life.
Now we're at a point where there is huge opportunity for the Jewish people to grow or disappear. We should welcome all these possible new Jews. If we treat them sincerely and seriously and not as if they were jokes, they will also take Judaism seriously. You should read what Rav Uziel said about conversion in modern times.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Dave: Well said.

[Dave Marshall]

Thanks, Yochanan.

[WoolSilkCotton]

I will recognize Britney as a Jew, in fact, I hereby grant her fully Jewish status effective immediately. She should report to my home for further 'information'.

BTW, never mind the Jewish star in the first picture; more importantly, you can see nipple!

For all you guys who think she's dumb, she does know where the local bank is, from all the trips she makes there for deposits.

[Clear]

justayid: Madonna is a gentile devotee of kabbalah. I don't even think she considers herself Jewish.

She doesn't. Nor a Christian, either, if these lyrics from her song "American Life" are referencing herself:

"I'd like to express my extreme point of view
I'm not Christian and I'm not a Jew"

[Clear]

we already have high profile converts - Ruth and Jethro to name a few.

Not if you're Orthodox. Ruth married a Jewish guy without converting. After he died, she "converted" by declaring her loyalty to HaShem and the Jewish people in front of her mother-in-law, hardly a valid bet din. I don't think that would even fly as a Reform conversion!

[Clear]

That's why I say, bring it on- Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist conversion, even more so Karaite conversion (they're way more traditional than R, R, or C)

And, according to the Karaites, they're "way more traditional" than O, too.

[Clear]

[/joke] with the Ruth comment.
(Too hasty with the "post" button.)

[Dave Marshall]

Clear, you're right. The Karaites think they are "way more traditional" than O, too. They say it on all their websites.

[victoria secret]

some one should buy her a bra as a "welcome to Judaism" present!

[Yochanan Lavie]

VS: That would be a Bra Mitzvah.

[Dr. Dave]

Good one YL

[justayid]

"the Jewish people- we're not controversial- we're not even really a religion- we're just a bunch of ethnic people that like funny foods and have a good sense of humour, and we've have some cousins/ ancestors that wear funny clothes from eastern Europe- you know, just like your ancestors wore funny clothes from Italy or England or Scotland

Secular jewishness has a far more serious origin that that. It was folks who lived in all Jewish immigrant neighborhoods, were brought up in Yiddish, but who rebelled completely against Judaism. They could just walk into an anglican church and become WASPs, and most did not want to. Some became secular Zionists. Some become Yiddishists. Many engaged in American life while being proud of their distinctive background (and yes, some tried to assimilate completely, with mixed success) The children and grandchildren of those people, when they did not become Reform, were left with Bagels and Lox Jewishness, but that they ended up with something trivial, does not mean we should trivialize its origins.

[justayid]

"couldnt just walk into"

[chabib]

After kissing Madonna, Britiny
may become a Musilm next week.

[Yos]

And God says: Why do I allow things like this to happen????

[WoolSilkCotton]

God loves hot shiksas who convert to Judaism, and the men who marry them.

[Neo-Conservaguy]

I am against letting people in for convenience, as in for the sake of marriage. If you are not committed, I don't want you.

Converting for "the sake of marriage" isn't a commitment? I want "quality" converts too, but let's not kid ourselves, from a historically critical view, that's exactly what has always happened as Jewish men took non-Jewish women as wives all over the world. It's exactly why Jews have different ethnic looks. Do you really, really believe that there just happened to be enough non-Jewish people in various regions that just happened to have converted "on their own" that were then available to be Jewish spouses? Come on! That's not what happened!

[moshe kaufman]

oh g-d please no! we already have enough losers in our community!oh well she will probably convert reform or conservative or something like that in which case she will not really be jewish anyway.

[sandra]

the fact that she is wearing a jewish star does not mean that she is converting to judaism .

it's all an act . she is just identifying with her boyfriend jason trawick .

britney's mother will never let her convert. brit mother wears this oversized
cross , she's very christian .

brit might pretend she is , to please her boy friend , to bond with him . it's not real .

anyway, brit is the third .
trump's daughter . then, bill clinton's daughter , now , britney spears .

[Prayer Necklace]

hehe, first we have seen the Catholic Rosary worn by Britney, second was the Christian Orthodox Rosary, then she turned towards the Kabbalah red string bracelet.

And now its the Jewish necklace. But I think its the boyfriend that inspired that....

[Yerachmiel Lopin]

Sandra,

Chelsea Clinton did not "convert" under any auspices. They just included a chuppah as a prop and gave a walk on role to a rabbi who did not claim she was Jewish. Just a Hollywood style pastiche. You can say she is Jewish in the same way that Bill Clinton was "America's first black president."

I suppose if Chelsea ever becomes president, she will in that sense be America's first Jewish president.