Singer Michael Bolton donned tefillin for the first time at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Photo: Facebook.
American singer songwriter Michael Bolton was spontaneously bar mitzvahed at the Western Wall in Jerusalem during his trip to Israel last month, a rabbi revealed on Wednesday.
The Jewish musician, 62, stopped by a Chabad tefillin stand near the holy site and agreed to don phylacteries for his first time ever. The laying of tefillin is the first mitzvah (commandment), traditionally assumed by a Jewish male when he turns 13.
Rabbi Shmuel (Shmuli) Weiss, who helped Bolton through the ritual, and the rabbi’s father-in-law, Moshe Schlass, posted a photo on Facebook of the singer thanking him.
Bolton arrived in Israel on Oct. 26, and immediately posted on Facebook, “Hello from Tel Aviv!!! It’s my first time in Israel and I’m excited to be here, even though it’s a short trip. What country is top of YOUR list to visit???”
The trip was the singer’s first visit to the Jewish state.