Was Michael Jackson a friend of the Jews?

By The Jewish Journal

Tags: Jewish World, Michael Jackson

Pop legend Michael Jackson's life was full of contradictions, and his relationship to Jews and the Jewish community was no exception.

From speculations that the singer had committed himself to Kabbalah, to rumors of anti-Semitic comments made over the years, his connection to Judaism has remained unclear.

Even after Jackson's death last week, the Jewish angle has been resurrected with many wondering whether custody of his two older children (and of the estate they will inherit) will go to the pop star's parents or the kids' Jewish mother.

"Any suggestions that Michael was not friendly to the Jewish community are inaccurate," maintains Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who befriended Jackson in 1999, though the two were out of touch for the last few years.