Fresh Prince of Jerusalem

April 22, 2006 - 8:17 PM by Maven

There is currently a wave of celebrities quietly visiting Jerusalem: that is, things are quiet until they get recognized.

So Will Smith somehow snuck into Israel incognito (how does a famous Hollywood actor stay incognito for even five minutes?) and went to visit the Western Wall today.

There his anonymity was promptly blown by a group of screaming girls who were supposed to be busy praying over on the women’s side of the barrier that separates worshipers according to gender, according to Orthodox Jewish custom. Or maybe it was the fact that Smith was surrounded by armed security personnel that gave him away. According to this report, Smith performed the traditional ritual of placing a note in the cracks between the stones. He also shook the hand of 13 year-old Amit Cohen, who was celebrating his bar mitzvah.

Unfortunately the glamour and significance were lost on Amit – he said he’d never heard of Smith. (What, he didn’t see Men in Black?)

If you’re in Jerusalem and feel like being a stalker, Smith is staying at the super-elegant King David Hotel. You know, the place where Nathalie Portman stayed for six months last year while she studied for a semester at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Oh, and guess who else is there? You won’t believe it: Ewan McGregor, together with his wife and newly adopted daughter from Mongolia.

What’s going on? Is Jerusalem becoming glam again?

Originally posted by Lisa on One Jerusalem

Photo: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

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