Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli made a special trip to Jerusalem on Thursday, a day after performing at a sold-out concert in Tel Aviv.
Sold out show
More than 20,000 people attended the show at Bloomfield Stadium, 11 years after Bocelli’s last performance in Israel. The audience included former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, film director Quentin Tarantino and former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
Friedman met with Bocelli before the show and pronounced the Birkat Kohanim priestly blessing over him, wishing the singer success with the show.
Bocelli was overheard telling Netanyahu that while his home is in Tuscany, if he had the chance to move anywhere in the world, it would be to Israel.
Visiting Jerusalem
Along with the trip to the Western Wall, the opera superstar visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other sites throughout Jerusalem’s Old City.
“Many have said that if God had a voice, it would be that of Andrea Bocelli. He is that wonderful.”
Former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman
"Andrea graced Israel with his spectacular performance last night and then took his trip to a new level by visiting Jerusalem’s holy Christian and Jewish sites.”
Bocelli is known for the incredible depth and emotion of his performances, transferring a sense of love and hope in each note. His career spans 25 years and 90 million albums sold, along with numerous awards.
His main instruments, aside from his voice, are piano and flute. He learned them when he was quite young, only to later discover his incredible vocal talents. Shortly after his performance in Israel, Bocelli will be heading out on tour throughout the US and Europe.