Alan Lew

Alan Lew (1943–2009) was a Conservative rabbi best known for establishing the world's first Jewish meditation center and for his work bridging Jewish and Buddhist traditions. Lew was often described as "the Zen rabbi," a phrase that he himself used in the title of his book One God Clapping: The Spiritual Path of a Zen Rabbi.

Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Lew grew up in a secular Jewish household. In the 1960s, he experimented with Asian spiritual practices and eventually discovered Zen Buddhism. When preparing for ordination as a Zen Buddhist priest, he had an epiphany regarding his Jewish identity which set him on a path to exploring Judaism.

Selected works Be Still and Get Going: A Jewish Meditation Practice for Real Life (2007) This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation (2003) One God Clapping: The Spiritual Path of a Zen Rabbi (1999)