What’s the deal with Jerry Seinfeld? Last year the Jewish comedian got cold feet and bailed on a scheduled solidarity trip to Israel, instead sending his opening act, comedian Larry Miller. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Well it looks like Seinfeld, who once spent a summer living on a kibbutz in Israel, will be doing some repentance on May 19th when he is due to be among the headliners at a star-packed celebration of Israel’s 55th anniversary in Washington, D.C. Also expected at the “Spirit of Israel” event are President Bush, and Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Moshe Katsav. Among the other performers are Tony Bennett, Norah Jones, and Ben Stein. Tickets for the MCI Center show are available from ticketmaster.com.