THE JEWISH TRANSCRIPT, Seattle
Aug. 13, 1999
Letters
Jew? Boo!
Dear Editor,
Considering that the Jewish machers (fixers, those with power, organization activists, etc.) of all the mainstream establishment Jewish organizations have allowed the Christian proselytizing community to decide for us how to label a Jewish (apostate) convert to Christianity: “Jewish-Christian,” “Hebrew-Christian,” and where they worship: “Messianic Synagogue,” rather than Messianic Christian and Messianic Church, which I’ve written about previously (Transcript Viewpoint April 1997; Letter April 1998; Letter June 1998) I find it amusing that in your otherwise fascinating articles (July 9) on Jews who become Buddhists you delete Jew from the name altogether in favor of solely phonetic based usage: “Ju Bu.”
This is made all the more intriguing since you write that some Jews in search of Buddhism can do so without straying too far afield of a Jewish life; and Judaism and Buddhism are theologically similar. If this is so, then Judaism and Buddhism are much more alike than Judaism and Christianity can ever be. For my 25 cents worth, however, I’d rather have gone with “Jew? Boo!” as a “transliteration.”
Shalom,
Akiva Segan
Seattle