Madonna hits the Holy Land in celebration

US pop diva Madonna and several other top Holywood celebrities who are fellow Kabbalah practitioners will visit Israel this week during the Jewish new year celebrations.

Madonna, who visited Israel in 2004, is due to arrive on Wednesday, said Assaf Levi, a spokesman for a Kabbalah centre in Tel Aviv which is sponsoring the visit said on Tuesday.

On Thursday she will be joined by US actors Ashton Kutcher, his wife Demi Moore, Rosie O'Donnell, and clothing designer Donna Karan, Levi told AFP.

The celebrities will all be staying at an upscale seaside hotel in Tel Aviv, he said, but declined to release details of their visit.

The ancient Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah has in recent years attracted a number of celebrities.

Madonna turned to it in 1997 after coming into contact with a Los Angeles-based Kabbalah centre that teaches an eclectic mix of Orthodox Jewish tradition, visualisation and positive thinking aimed at spiritual well-being.

In 2004 she took the Hebrew name Esther and is now reportedly observing the Jewish sabbath, although she has not converted to Judaism.

Madonna made a previous visit to Israel three years ago at the height of the Palestinian intifada, telling reporters at the time that she was more worried about paparazzi than suicide bombers.document.write(unescape("