Demi Lovato baptized in Jordan River during trip to Israel
Demi Lovato attends a Fabletics event in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 18, 2018. Credit: Getty Images for Fabletics / Ari Perilstein
Singer Demi Lovato revealed Tuesday that during a visit to Jerusalem last month she was baptized in the Jordan River.
"I am an American singer. I was raised Christian and have Jewish ancestors. When I was offered an amazing opportunity to visit the places I'd read about in the Bible growing up, I said yes," Lovato, 27, who had revealed her Jewish roots in 2012, wrote on Instagram. "There is something absolutely magical about Israel. I've never felt such a sense of spirituality or connection to God … something I've been missing for a few years now. Spirituality is so important to me … to be baptized in the Jordan river — the same place Jesus was baptized — I've never felt more renewed in my life."
The message accompanied four photos of the recording artist. In the first one she stands in the river at an undisclosed location, hugging the apparent officiant after her baptism. The remaining three photos are of Lovato in the ancient city. In one of the images, she touches the Western Wall, a place of prayer and pilgrimage in the Old City of Jerusalem, which according to The Jerusalem Post she visited on Sept. 19.
"This trip has been so important for my well-being, my heart, and my soul," added the "Sorry Not Sorry" singer. "I'm grateful for the memories made and the opportunity to be able to fill the God-sized hole in my heart. Thank you for having me, Israel."
The Grammy Award nominee also visited Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, posting five black-and-white photos from the museum, including one of what appeared to be shoes from concentration-camp prisoners. "My heart was absolutely broken in Yad Vashem," Lovato wrote. "This was such a beautiful tribute and a reminder that we can never forget."
She additionally stopped at the headquarters of Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. Captioning a photo of herself smiling as she holds and hugs a toddler, Lovato wrote, "While I was over there I fell in love with this little beauty at the Shalva National Center. What an amazing center for children with special needs.” The Israeli Embassy in the United States on Sept. 22 had tweeted a video of Lovato hugging members of the Shalva Band, "made up of people with disabilities [who] performed as guests at #Eurovision this year in @TelAviv."
Lovato's new friend, recent "The Bachelorette" star Hannah Brown, whom the singer came to support Monday on "Dancing With the Stars," commented on Lovato's Shalva message, "These post[s] are making my heart so happy."
The singer, who was hospitalized after an apparent drug overdose in July 2018, checked into rehab after she was discharged from the hospital. Lovato celebrated a year of sobriety this summer with friends.
