Mar 12, 2007 3:47 pm US/Pacific
DiCaprio, Supermodel, Arrive In Israel
JERUSALEM (AP) ―
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Leonardo DiCaprio has received Oscar nominations for his roles in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "The Aviator" and "Blood Diamond." (File)
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
Leonardo DiCaprio arrived in Israel with supermodel Bar Refaeli this weekend, creating a paparazzi storm. The 32-year-old Hollywood actor and Refaeli, 21, have been romantically linked for about a year, and Israeli newspapers regularly run updates on their relationship.
They apparently hoped to slip into the country unnoticed on a night flight from Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday, but the plane was also carrying a group of Israeli entertainment reporters on their way back from a press junket in Ireland.
By the time DiCaprio and Refaeli headed for her family's home in an upscale Tel Aviv suburb, it had been besieged by dozens of photographers.
Guy Pines, host of an Israeli entertainment news show, rented a helicopter to survey the scene from the air, standard paparazzi procedure abroad but a first for Israel, he said.
But all the cameramen were able to capture was a blurry shot of the couple, their faces obscured, being driven to the home of Refaeli's parents.
On Monday, the pair eluded their pursuers and traveled to Jerusalem, where they paid an after-hours visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, museum spokeswoman Estee Yaari said.
They later visited the Western Wall and its subterranean tunnels in the Old City, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Police kept cameras back to shield the famous couple from exposure.
DiCaprio has received Oscar nominations for his roles in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "The Aviator" and "Blood Diamond." Refaeli is featured in Sports Illustrated magazine's recent swimsuit issue alongside Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler.
Pines told The Associated Press the high-profile success both celebrities have enjoyed "turns them into a power couple that grabs a lot of media attention."
But more than anything, Israelis are happy for a diversion, Pines said.
"The fact that most of the headlines here recently haven't been pleasant turns the interest in this beautiful fairy tale couple into something the media can revel in," he said.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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