Stoudemire in the Holy Land

After tweeting 'I'm Jewish', NBA star arrives in Israel, visits Masada, Dead Sea and Yad Vashem with small entourage. 'The fact that I'm not Jewish by religion does not prevent me from connecting to the Jewish nation's spirituality,' he says

It all began when Amare Stoudemire, who recently signed a $100 million contract with the New York Knicks, wrote "I'm Jewish" on his personal Twitter account.

The former Phoenix Suns star's agent was quick to deny the claim. "He's not Jewish. It was blown out of proportion. His mother says there's a little Jewish blood in her side of the family. I haven't checked to see if he's circumcised."

Stoudemire landed in the Holy Land last week for what was referred to as a journey to discover his Jewish roots.