Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/144424_jews18.html
On October 18, 2003 Seattle Post-Intelligencer described Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue, where meditation is blended with traditional Jewish worship and services "focus less on liturgy and more on the contemplative aspects of the faith, with more singing, chanting and guided meditation. " The synagogue is celebrating a 10 year anniversary just as Jewish mysticism and Buddhism are gaining an increasing following in the United States. According to the article, "over the last decade, more people have been mixing Buddhist and Jewish teachings for a new "Jew-Bu" style of religion. At Tree of Life Books & Judaica in Seattle, books on the Kabbalah and the Zohar, a 13th-century mystical commentary on the Torah, attract a steady stream of customers. "