Former Disney star Demi Lovato’s trip to Israel in late September, which included a baptism in the waters of the Jordan River, ended with a baptism by fire, as the 27-year-old American singer admitted to publicising a paid tour of the Holy Land, which angered critics of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
But in the same Instagram posts of her baptism and photo-ops at a centre for disabled children and Israel’s Holocaust memorial – all reportedly sponsored by Israel’s Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and private donations – Lovato mentioned her recent exploration of her Jewish heritage.
Raised a Christian, Lovato said in a 2018 video that she had been exploring her varied ancestry, and, while in Israel, she and her mother met with an expert on Sephardic Jews, who are descended from Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal 500 years ago.
They were “very interested in learning more about their Sephardic heritage and ancestry, which had been confirmed by DNA testing,” wrote Ashley Perry, president of Reconectar, a group that helps people with Sephardic ancestry connect with their Jewish heritage.
“They told me they came from New Mexico, which is known to have a high percentage of Anousim, Jews who were forced to abandon Judaism against their will,” Perry told Religion News Service.
Read the article by Michele Chabin in Sight Magazine.