User:ORavenhurst/Jewbu

A Jewbus (sometimes spelled Jubu or reversed as Buju) is an individual who self-identifies as both Jewish and Buddhist. It is largely a North American upper-middle class, college-educated phenomenon, and generally refers to individuals who are culturally Jewish but philosophically Buddhist. Jewbus are most common in California and the area around New York City in the United States and Toronto in Canada.

History
While Jews started mixing in elements of Buddhism during the middle of the 20th century, Jewbus were first revealed to the rest of the world in 1994 with the publication of dialogues between the Dalai Lama and various rabbis under the title The Jew in the lotus. Since then, adopting Buddhist practices has become fairly popular amongst Jewish celebrities, in much the same manner as Christian celebrities have adopted Kabbalah.

Practices
Jewbu practice varies greatly, from atheists who see Judaism as a cultural background and who adopt elements of Zen into their personal philosophies to strictly observant views who believe that Therevada Buddhism, since it does not view the Buddha as divine, is fully compatible with observance of traditional Judaism. Since belief in reincarnation is already prevalent in Hasidic communities, it's not exactly a huge leap to tack on more elements of Buddhist philosophy.