Rumor has it that X Factor creator Simon Cowell is exploring Judaism as he and his girlfriend, Lauren Silverman, await the arrival of their baby. In October, we found out that Cowell donated $150,000 (yes, you read that number correctly) to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Now, the Mirror reports that Cowell is planning a trip to the Holy Land.

“He really is embracing fatherhood and wants to be the first person to cradle his new-born son. He is open to reason on the subject of religion and the faith in which his son is brought up.

“But he is naturally inquisitive and really wants to visit Israel so that he can make a more informed decision.”

While the tabloids are generally unreliable, we’ll have some fun with this story. There is, in fact, $150,000 making it seem believable. Then again, what’s $150,000 to a multi-millionaire?

We’ll continue to keep you posted on Cowell’s Judaism tour.

Previous: Simon Cowell Donated a Ton of Money to the IDF

(Photo by John Phillips/Getty)

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Simon Cowell, you sneaky little sweetheart. This guy might be mean on prime time television, but in civilian clothing, he’s one philanthropic guy. Cowell attended an event for the Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday and donated a bunch of his own money to the well being of men and women in Israeli uniform, the Times of Israel reports.

Cowell, best known for his acid-tongued judgments on “American Idol” and “The X Factor,” attended a fundraiser for Israeli soldiers on Wednesday and shelled out $150,000 of his own money for the cause. The event was hosted by billionaire Haim Saban, the Israeli creator of “Power Rangers.”

The event was put together by Haim Saban, the Israeli billionaire and creator of the ’90s hit kids TV show, Power Rangers. Saban offered to donate $1 million if Cowell sang the Power Rangers theme song. And, supposedly, Cowell sang away. What we’d give for video of that event.

“Go Go Power Rangers” will likely be stuck in all of our heads for the weekend.

(Photo by John Phillips/Getty)

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The breakout star of this season’s X Factor auditions is Carly Rose Sonenclar, a 13-year-old Westchester native. She wowed the crowd with her soulful rendition of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good,” and earned a standing ovation and enthusiastic ‘yes’ votes from Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid, and Simon Cowell. The notoriously picky Cowell even declared, “a star has just walked out on that stage.”

But Sonenclar, who is Jewish (Facebook has been kvelling over her since her appearance), is hardly an undiscovered talent—she starred as Young Cosette in Les Miserables on Broadway when she was seven years old. More recently, she played the lead in Wonderland on Broadway and was on PBS’ The Electric Company. Not too shabby for a 13-year-old!

Check out her X-Factor performance (spoiler alert: Britney calls her a “little diva”):

The eighth-grader is poised and articulate, and seems well-prepared for the spotlight. It may be early in the season, but Sonenclar definitely has a shot at winning the whole thing.

And look! She also knows this guy:

According to the countdown on her website, her next X Factor appearance is in nine days, three hours, and 45 minutes. Do you think she has what it takes to be the X Factor champ? Let us know in the comments!

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