A judge just ended the almost-14 year conservatorship which Jamie Spears maintained over his daughter, the performer Britney Spears. While the singer had suffered from mental illness leading to the court-established conservatorship, there is much controversy as to the role played by her father, and whether he was operating in his daughter’s best interest. During this time, Britney continued to perform, including a concert in Israel. What problem arose when Britney Spears performed in Tel Aviv in 2017?
Britney Spears by steven.i is licensed under CC BY 2.0
A. Spears visited the Western Wall when she arrived in Israel. When word got out that she was there, fans mobbed the holy site, causing authorities to shut down the women’s section of the Wall.
B. The Labor Party had to cancel their leadership elections, which were scheduled on the same day as Britney’s concert. The polling place was across the street from the Yarkon Park concert venue, and the chaos of the huge crowds in the area led the Labor leaders to postpone the election until the next day.
C. The concert happened to be scheduled on the minor fast day of Shiva Asar b’Tammuz, the 17th of Tammuz, which commemorates the date that the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. Members of the haredi religious community held protests outside the concert site at Yarkon Park because they were offended that a concert featuring the sexy performer would be held on that date.
D. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to speak at a fundraising event in Tel Aviv on the date of the performance. However, his motorcade could not get to the venue because there was so much traffic heading to Yarkon Park, the site of Britney’s concert, and the event had to be canceled.
E. Spears had shaved off her hair again before flying to Israel. She visited Jerusalem, and when she got to the Plaza at the Western Wall, a rabbi approached her from the rear and said, “Hey Mister. This is a holy place,” as he put a yarmulke on her head.