Is Buddaism related at all to Judaism?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

Are Buddhism and Judaism related? 

 Theologically, Judaism and Buddhism are fundamentally different—Judaism is a monotheistic religion centered on a Creator God, while Buddhism is non-theistic and focuses on achieving enlightenment and escaping the cycle of rebirth, or reincarnation. 

However, the two traditions share surprisingly strong modern and cultural connections:

• The "JewBu" Phenomenon: There is a significant overlap between the two communities. A large number of disaffected or secularized Jews have gravitated toward Buddhism, leading to the creation of the term "JewBu" (or "JuBu"). It's estimated that a large percentage of Western Buddhist leaders have Jewish roots. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that the Jewish Buddhist movement really took off. With the hippy ‘peace and love’ mentality on the rise, and many modern Jews seeking a more spiritual path, lots of young American Jews turned to Buddhism. Jewish friends Michael Fagan and Sam Bercholz established the Shambhala Buddhist festival; Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg and Jacqueline Mandell-Schwartz founded the famous Insight Meditation center and movement; and even David Ben-Gurion espoused Buddhist meditation!
• Shared Ethical Values: Both traditions strongly emphasize the interconnectedness of humanity, ethical living, and the ethics of reciprocity (e.g., the concept of "Love thy neighbor" in Judaism and compassion for all sentient beings in Buddhism). 
•  Contrasting Worldviews: Judaism teaches active engagement with and perfecting the physical world. Buddhism, on the other hand, emphasizes detachment from worldly desires to end suffering. 
• Which religion is the oldest?  Judaism or Buddhism...
• Judaism is significantly older than Buddhism. Judaism emerged in the Middle East around 2000 BCE to 1500 BCE. In contrast, Buddhism originated in ancient India much later, around the 6th century BCE.  
  
                       Moses and the 10 Commandments
• Moses was the leader of Judaism.  We Jews follow the Mosaic Law in different degrees.  There are the Orthodox who are most stringent of followers, the Conservative and the Reform who have attempted to bring the laws more up to date by following some of them.
  
                                David Yosef, (Sephardi)
  
                       Kalmen Bur, (Ashkenazi)
• In each community, large or small, there has been someone officiating the Jewish laws:  for instance-the state of Israel:  Israel's two chief rabbis are Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber and Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef (also known as the Rishon leZion). Both rabbis were elected in late 2024 to serve 10-year terms overseeing the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Yes, we also have a division of Ashkenazi (more German/Hebrew-western) and Sephardi (more Spain, Latin American,) and even Mizrahi (Egypt, Middle Eastern).  Mizrahi Jews have no chief rabbi. Mizrahi Jews (Jews from the Middle East and North Africa) fall under the jurisdiction of the Sephardic Chief Rabbi, a position officially known as the Rishon LeZion. 
  
             Israel's population: Israel's total population is approximately 10,178,000 to 10,224,200. Demographic breakdown:
  • Jewish and others: 76.3% (about 7.7 million) In Israel, about 50% of the Jewish population identifies with Orthodox Judaism, while only about 2% to 3% identify as Conservative and Reform combined. The remaining 45% either identify as traditional, strictly secular (Hiloni), or claim no specific denominational affiliation
  • Arab citizens: 21.1% (about 2.1 million)
  • Foreign citizens: 2.6% (about 260,000) 
• In Israel, the Jewish population is nearly evenly split between the two main ethnic branches. Approximately 45% are Ashkenazi (European descent), while 48% to 50% are Sephardic or Mizrahi (Middle Eastern, North African, and Central Asian descent). The remainder belong to smaller, diverse communities like Ethiopian Jews. 
  
  
  
• Buddhism does not have a single, universal leader. Instead, the religion is structured around regional schools, lineages, and monastic orders rather than a centralized governing authority.                                
  
  
  
• Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha): The historical founder of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. While he is not a "leader" in the modern sense, his teachings (Dharma) form the foundational basis for all Buddhist traditions. 
  
  
  
• The Dalai Lama: The spiritual leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The incumbent, Tenzin Gyatso, is widely recognized globally as the preeminent figure and voice of Tibetan Buddhism. 
• Other Lineage Leaders: Different Buddhist schools are led by their own respected patriarchs, abbots, or monastic councils. For example, Theravada Buddhism (practiced heavily in Southeast Asia) is guided by councils of senior monks, while Zen Buddhism relies on an unbroken chain of recognized teachers (Roshi or Sensei).
•  
• 
  
• 
  
• Resource:
• https://blog.nli.org.il/en/judaism-and-buddhism/
• https://www.embodiedphilosophy.com/reflections-of-a-jewish-buddhist-2/