Arquette, the son of a Jewish mother, and an Muslim father (a convert from Catholicism), was taking his first trip to Israel to film a segment for a travel show. He filmed a piece for the show, “Mile High,” which airs on the Travel Channel and, for the show, attended a bar mitzvah celebration in Jerusalem. Arquette was asked if he wanted to have a bar mitzvah ceremony as well.
Dressed entirely in white, Arquette celebrated his bar mitzvah, reading a Torah portion in front of the Western Wall. “He was very emotional, saying he was happy to be part of the chain of the Jewish people,” the rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinowitz, who conducted the ceremony, told the Associated Press. His grandmother on his mother’s side has been a Polish holocaust survivor, but Arquette was not well-versed in Judaism growing up. Arquette is best known for his appearances in the Scream series of movies as well as his recently ended marriage with Friends star Courtney Cox. Arquette is also a member of a prominent acting family; his sisters Patricia and Rosanna Arquette has been successful actresses in television and film.