Ricky Shows the Love
Aussie Dave | Aug 07, 2005 | 2 comments
Singer Ricky Martin has met with an Israeli diplomat, in an effort to put that incident behind him.
Quite a few eyebrows were raised among America’s Jewish community last month when popular singer Ricky Martin performed for a group of youngsters in Jordan, wearing a Palestinian kaffiyah.However, the singer met with Israeli Consul to New York Arye Mekel this weekend in an attempt to iron out the difficulties and to apologize for any preconceptions as a result of his concert .During the meeting, Martin explained that he had no personal agenda during his performance in Jordan and said he was deeply pained by the incident.He said that several local children had placed the kaffiyah on his shoulders, without him knowing what it represents.Martin said that in order for him to correct the impression left on the Jewish community, he plans to perform in Israel as part of his European tour in Spring, following the release of his new album.
Good on Ricky. He could have been like so many celebrities before him, and actually stood by his kaffiyah-wearing hijinx. Instead, he did the right thing, which in this case may not have been easy. Color me impressed.
So one potential public relations “situation” defused. However, given the persistent rumors about Ricky’s sexuality, his PR team must be doing backflips over this well-meaning comment:
In an attempt to convince Mekel of his sincerity, Martin said that several of his good friends in Los Angeles are Israeli and that he had learned some Hebrew words from them.He then turned to Mekel and said, “My dear” in Hebrew.
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: General
If the picture is any indication, they should have taught him the Hebrew for “Who’s Your Daddy”. Still, a great gesture by Ricky.
If Ricky has so many Jewish friends, it’s amazing they didn’t educate him about regional politics before this concert in Jordan . . not to mention a public relations person or agency that isn’t working “for” him, it seems. Time will tell if his apology is sincere. What’s another cocert to an artist, one town begins to look like any other town on the road. Color me cynical.