Tila Tequila Converts to Judaism, Kabbalah?
Tila Tequila, the Vietnamese-American reality TV show star and model, claims that she has had some sort of religious awakening, resulting in a possible conversion to Judaism or Kabbalah.
Tequila told TMZ “as time passed, I started to become more and more fascinated with Kabbalah, the culture, and the way of life of the reform Judaism religion.”
Because adopting the ways of Kabbalah requires adherence to traditional Jewish customs, many publications have reported that Tequila is converting to Judaism. Although Judaism is the basis for Kabbalah- according to KabbalaOnline.com- Kabbalah has many other texts, like the “Zohar,” “Heichalot,” and the “Bahir,” making it different than traditional Judaism.
Tequila, who was born Tila Nguyen, is known for the overtly sexualized way in which she is usually displayed. Because of this, her interest into conversion could be highly scrutinized.
According to TMZ, though, Tequila is taking her new-found faith seriously, and has been taking classes at a temple in New York to help prepare her for the imminent challenge and lifestyle change.
To prove her dedication, it is also reported that Tequila neglected to celebrate Christmas, deciding instead to focus on her studies.
Because of Tequila’s profession of garnering publicity through social networking, TV shows and modeling, some critics think her conversion could be another publicity stunt.
Kabbalah has become intensely popular among Hollywood celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Winona Ryder, Courtney Love, the late Michael Jackson, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. Tequila, 30, could be taking after the recent trend.
However, Tequila seems set to adopt Jewish customs in pursuit of the Kabbalistic teachings. She stated that she won’t go to the extreme regarding her faith, saying, “I feel Orthodox (Judaism) is a little hardcore for me at this stage.”
Tequila added, “I just feel like the Jewish people have such a beautiful way about them, and I can’t wait to officially be Jewish! Shabbat Shalom.”
