Demi Lovato recently took a trip to Israel, sharing a series of photos from her travels on Instagram that included a snap from her visit to the Shalva National Center. Lovato’s photo found the singer smiling while holding a young girl, who Lovato called “little beauty” in her caption.
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“While I was over there I fell in love with this little beauty at the Shalva National Center,” she wrote. “What an amazing center for children with special needs.”
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Lovato received criticism after she shared photos of her trip on social media, with people accusing her of getting involved in the political conflict between Israel and Palestine with her trip. The singer issued a response on her Instagram Story after the backlash, though she ultimately took it down.
“I’m extremely frustrated,” Lovato began. “I accepted a free trip to Israel in exchange for a few posts. No one told me there would be anything would be anything wrong with going or that I could possibly be offending anyone.”
“With that being said, I’m sorry if I’ve hurt or offended anyone, that was not my intention,” she continued. “Sometimes people present you with opportunities and no one tells you the potential backlash you could face in return. This was meant to be a spiritual experience for me, NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT and now I realize it hurt people and for that I’m sorry.”
“Sorry I’m not more educated, and sorry for thinking this trip was just a spiritual experience,” the Texas native added. “Going against all advice right now and apologizing because it feels right to me and I’d rather get in trouble for being authentic to myself, than staying quiet to please other people. I love my fans, all of them, from all over.”
In addition to her visit to the center, Lovato shared photos from a visit to Yad Vashem and her baptism in the Jordan River, calling the country “absolutely magical.”
“There is something absolutely magical about Israel,” she wrote alongside the photos from her baptism. “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.”
“This trip has been so important for my well-being, my heart, and my soul,” she continued. “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.”
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Photo Credit: Getty / Cindy Ord
