Madonna expresses her devotion to Judaism by changing her name to Esther

Published June 17th, 2004 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Internationally well-known pop singer Madonna has announced that she has changed her name, which has become a marker throughout her career, and now demands to be called by her new Jewish name Esther. The singer who has adopted the Jewish sector "Kabbalah", revealed that she has become so affected by her religion that she felt she must change her name to go with her belief.  

 

The well known Material Girl was named after her mother who died when the singer was young and said she wanted to be attached to the "energy" of a new name.  

 

During an interview in the United States, the Catholic born singer said that since following the teachings of the Jewish mystical faith Kabbalah - whose principles she said were very "punk rock" and anti-establishment - Madonna has learned to follow new directions.  

 

Adopted by gurus of popular culture, the Kabbalah, an ancient Hebrew mystical system of thought, embodies the mystical side of Judaism and teaches one to embrace small sparks of daily experiences and the seemingly insignificant moments of life.  

 

Madonna stressed that she will not answer to her old name and will only accept being Called Esther from now on. One of the key changes to date has been her name, "I was named after my mother. My mother died when she was very young, of cancer, and I wanted to attach myself to another name.  

 

"This is in no way a negation of who my mother is. I wanted to attach myself to the energy of a different name," Esther added. -Albawaba.com 

© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)