Singer Demi Lovato posted an apology on her Instagram after some users expressed their offense on photos of her recent trip to Israel.
The apology can no longer be found and the comment thread on her photos of the trip has been turned off.
“I accepted a free trip to Israel in exchange for a few posts. No one told me there would be anything wrong with going or that I could possibly be offending anyone,” Lovato wrote on Instagram. “With that being said, I’m sorry if I’ve hurt or offended anyone, that was not my intention.”
“This was meant to be a spiritual experience for me, NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT,” she wrote. “Now I realize it hurt people and for that I’m sorry.”
Lovato added she was “sorry” for thinking that the “trip was just a spiritual experience.”
Lovato said she made the apology on her own terms.
“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.”
Despite the backlash on social media, Lovato has left all the photos of her trip along with the captions that may have triggered the negative response.
A photo of Lovato hugging the man who baptized her in the Jordan River can be seen on one of her photo albums.
She explained in the caption that she was amazed at the opportunity of visiting the “magical” country and added she is an “American” of “Christian” faith with “Jewish ancestors.”
“When I was offered an amazing opportunity to visit the places I’d read about in the Bible growing up, I said yes. There is something absolutely magical about Israel.”
Lovato added that her time in Israel was an experience that changed her on a deeper level.
“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. 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.”
Another photo album shows the time she spent at Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, where she saw the Hall of Names and the pile of shoes worn by Jewish prisoners during World War II.
