jubu

n. a Jewish person who maintains Buddhist beliefs or practices. Also Jewbu. Subjects: English, Religion

Editorial Note: This term was popularized by Rodger Kamenetz through his 1994 book A Jew in the Lotus: A Poet’s Rediscovery of Jewish Identity.

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Citations: 1994 Verlyn Klinkenborg New York Times Book Review (July 24) “Going to See The Lama” p. 10: In autumn 1990, a Jewish Buddhist, a poet and eight distinguished Jews traveled to Dharamsala, India, for a four-day exchange of views…with the Dalai Lama.…The Jewish Buddhist (or JUBU, as some say) was Marc Lieberman, a San Francisco opthalmologist. 1995 Noachman Spiegel Jerusalem Post (Feb. 10) “A Dharma Zionist?” p. 19: Kamenetz wanted to learn what it was about Buddhism that lured many Jews to embrace the tenets of the Buddha and become “JUBUs.” 1999 Luisa Yanez Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) (Apr. 15) “Ties That Bind: The Shared Pain Of Persecution Led Many South Florida Jews And Cuban Exiles To Tibetan Buddhism And The Dalai Lama”: “It’s sort of a Jewish phenomenon that so many of us turned to Buddhism,” Katz said. “There’s even a name for Jews who switch. It’s ‘JUBU.’” 2005 Don Lattin San Francisco Chronicle (California) (Jan. 23) “Bridging Eastern and Western Buddhism”: They prefer “Christian with a Buddhist practice,” or “Ju-Bu,” a term coined to describe American Jews who embrace Buddhist meditation. 2005 David Ian Miller SF Gate (San Francisco, California) (Nov. 28) “Finding My Religion”: There is a phenomenon of many Jews becoming Buddhists, or “Jewbus” as they are called, especially here in the Bay Area.

Posted 24 Jan 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend