Bieber prays Shema before hitting stage

Teen singing sensation learns Jewish prayer proclaiming oneness of God from his manager

Ilan Mester|Published: 01.06.11 , 07:44

Teen singing sensation Justin Bieber reportedly prays the "Shema" (a Jewish prayer that proclaims the oneness of God) before going on stage.

Bieber’s manager and close friend, Scooter Braun (born Shmuel ben Eliezer) told Yedioth Ahronoth’s Adi Gold the Canadian superstar adopted the prayer after hearing Braun say the "Shema".

“Justin prays the ‘Shema’ before each show,” Braun told Gold. “First he says a Christian prayer, then he says the ‘Shema.'"

Last year Bieber was photographed wearing a skullcap at a Jewish wedding ceremony in Toronto for his musical director, Dan Kanter.

The 16-year-old Canadian singer will be making his debut in Israel this year when he performs in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park on April 14, 2011. The show is part of his highly successful My World tour, which has seen the young singer perform around the world, including in his native Canada.

Bieber recently performed to a sold out audience of screaming fans at the Air Canada Centre last month. He’s come a long way from his humble beginnings as a busker in Stratford, Ont.

Bieber started to gain attention when his mother posted videos of him singing and in 2008, Braun stumbled across one of those videos on Youtube. The young singer has since released three albums and a number of chart-topping singles. Bieber’s video for his hit song “Baby” is one of the most viewed Youtube videos of all time.

The Canadian star is the subject of a new 3-D doc called "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never", which includes footage from his recent concerts.

Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life