MADONNA - MADONNA'S DEAD OF NIGHT SPIRITUAL JAUNT

Pop star MADONNA is so desperate to avoid being mobbed by photographers during her spiritual quest to Israel, she visited Judaism's sacred Western Wall in the middle of the night.

The MATERIAL GIRL - who has joined 2,000 fellow followers of the Kabbalah to celebrate the start of the Jewish New Year - was driven to the historical site in the early hours of yesterday (19SEP04), after making a midnight pilgrimage to a Jerusalem cemetery.

But Madonna remained inside her car when they arrived at the Western Wall, where the biblical temples once stood, and admired the spectacle from afar - much to the disappointment of many visitors.

HADASS CHEN, who made the trip to see the singer, says, "Why did she not come out of the car? We were waiting for her.

"You don't feel the vibe if you don't touch the wall."

The singer - who is an avid follower of the mystical Jewish offshoot - paid homage to Kabbalist sage RABBI YEHUDA ASHLAG with her film director husband GUY RITCHIE at the Kiryat Shaul cemetery, and held a ceremony at his grave, before heading off to the Western Wall.