Jennifer Lopez and fiance Alex Rodriguez pray at Jerusalem's Western Wall after performing in Israel despite boycott call
Jennifer Lopez and her fiance Alex Rodriguez stopped by one of the world's holiest sites, Jerusalem's Western Wall, to pray after performed in Tel Aviv. The pair was snapped along with their respective children. The couple visited Israel in connection to Lopez's 'It's My Party' tour, which was embroiled in controversies.
After several artists didn't perform in the Middle Eastern country, the 'On The Floor' singer was also pressurized by the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement to cancel her concert. However, she stuck to her guns and her longtime manager Benny Medina told Israel's Channel 12 that "there was nothing that was going to stop us from being in Israel."
In an Instagram post, Lopez wrote: "Reconnecting with faith and family at the Via Dolorosa and the church of the holy sepulcher. Swipe to see some beautiful pictures of our family outing," along with a series of pictures from her trip. Meanwhile, Rodriguez aka A-Rod shared: "Jerusalem, you are unforgettable. What a perfect finale to our first trip to this beautiful land," and wrote in another post, "What an amazing time we are having on my first trip to Israel! The people have been wonderful and have such energy. I will definitely be back and recommend visiting this incredible country!"
This is not the first time such an incident has sparked controversy. Bon Jovi faced a similar pressure to cancel his tour but finally made the decision to perform in Tel Aviv on July 25. Keyboardist David Bryan told the Jerusalem Post, “We don’t get into politics. Rock ‘n’ roll goes everywhere and helps people forget about the world and have a good time. It doesn’t divide, and that’s what we’re talking about – unification, not dividing.”
Last year in September, singer Lana Del Rey canceled her performance in Israel after being supremely pressurized from an anti-Israeli group. The incident took place after her comments on the concert as a way to "bring us together" with a "thematic emphasis on peace" surfaced in the public domain.
Meanwhile, several singers have performed in Israel in recent past, including Paul McCartney, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Bob Dylan, Justin Bieber, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Leonard Cohen, Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Cyndi Lauper, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake.