Hinduism and Judaism are among theoldest existing religions in the world. The two share some similarities and interactions throughout both theancient andmodern worlds.
Scholarly comparisons ofHinduism andJudaism were common during theAge of Enlightenment as part of arguments concerning thedeistic worldview.[1] Hananya Goodman states that Hinduism and Judaism have played an important role in European discussions of idolatry, spirituality, primitive theories of race, language, mythologies, etc.[2]
Both religions were regarded by some scholars to beethnic religions, and not promoting conversions. Adherents of both religions, however, are found across the world.[3] Both religions share common elements in regard to a complicated system of laws, purity codes, and dietary restrictions, for defining their communities.[4]
Judaism has been compared to Hinduism bynew religious movement founderRajneesh[5] andSteve J. Rosen, anInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness adherent.[6] Both cite the similarities betweenBrahmins andJews who viewed themselves as "God's chosen people". Rosen adds that the former had a "community of priests" while the latter had a "Kingdom of Priests".[7]
David Flusser says that the record ofAbraham has many similarities with the story ofYajnavalkya from theUpanishads, stating that "One can easily discover parallels in the Upanishads to the Abraham legend".[8][9]
AmericanbiologistConstantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783–1840), in his bookThe American Nations, discusses linguistic and traditional similarities between the two religions.[10][needs independent confirmation]
Barbara Holdrege compared the role of scriptures inBrahmanical,Rabbinic Jewish, andKabbalistic traditions, highlighting that both theVedas andTorah are seen not just as texts, but as multileveled cosmic realities encompassing historical and transmundane dimensions.[citation needed]She adds further that sacred status, authority, and function of scripture in these traditions are to a certain extent shaped by these conceptions and thus such a study is essential for understanding the role of Veda and Torah as the paradigmatic signs of their respective traditions.[11][additional citation(s) needed]
Judaism, notable for itsmonotheistic conception of God, has some similarities with thoseHindu scriptures that are monotheistic, such as the Vedas.[12]
Hindu sects hold a variety of beliefs about the nature and identity of God, ranging from aform of monotheism topolytheism,pantheism, andpanentheism. According to theMahabharata and someVaishnavitePuranas,Narayana is thesupreme deity.[13]Vaishnavism considersVishnu orKrishna to be the supreme God,[14][15] whileShaivites considerShiva to be the supreme god, keeping in mind theAgamas, certainUpanishads and thePashupati seal; the latter being discovered amongst the remains of theIndus Valley Civilization.[16]
In Judaism, God is anabsolute one, indivisible and incomparable being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. In Hinduism, gods are considered to have similar statuses to another when distinct, being "aspects or manifestations of a single, transcendent god" or an "impersonal absolute".[17]
Bernard Jackson points out the extent to which legal regulations, customs, and royal ordinances inHalakha in the Jewish tradition andDharmaśāstra among Hindus are binding on members of their respective societies. Jackson adds that both Jewish and Hindu law evidence a great sensitivity to the interplay of local custom and authoritative law. He says that in both religions, the writing down of a collection of norms did not necessarily mean that all or even most norms were intended to be enforced, and that the laws connected with royal authority were not necessarily statutory.Wendy Doniger states that Hinduism and Judaism are alike in their tendency towardorthopraxy rather thanorthodoxy.[18]
Ancient trade and cultural communication between India and the Levant is documented in thePeriplus of the Erythraean Sea and the accounts surrounding theQueen of Sheba in theHebrew Bible.
Bhavishya Purana is regarded by a number of scholars to have predicted Judaism's prophetMoses, and similar parallels are found in the Vedas.[19]
The trade relations of both communities can be traced back to 1,000 BCE and earlier to the time of theIndus Valley civilisation of the Indian subcontinent and the Babylonian culture of Middle East. A Buddhist story describes Indian merchants visitingBaveru (Babylonia)[20] and selling peacocks for public display. Similar, earlier accounts describe monkeys exhibited to the public.[21]
The Torah has also been helpful for understanding relations between these two traditions.[22] Geographical analysis of Israel suggests that the authors of the Torah were talking about India, where the sale of animals such as monkeys and peacocks took place.[23]Trade connections between India and Mediterranean Jewish communities continued, and later, the languages of these cultures started to share linguistic similarities.[24]
Some of the leading figures in the field ofIndology likeTheodor Aufrecht,Theodor Goldstücker,Theodor Benfey,Charles Rockwell Lanman,Salomon Lefmann,Gustav Solomon Oppert,Betty Heimann etc. were of Jewish descent.
Jews neverfaced persecution by Hindus, neither are there any records ofHindus facing persecution at the hands of Jews. The world's first Jewish-Hindu interfaith leadership summit, led by the World Council of Religious Leaders, Hindu organisations in India and Jewish organisations in Israel, as well as theAmerican Jewish Committee, was held inNew Delhi in February 2007.[25] The summit included the thenChief Rabbi of IsraelYona Metzger, theAmerican Jewish Committee's International Director of Interreligious AffairsDavid Rosen, a delegation ofchief rabbis from around the world, and Hindu leaders from India.[26][27][28] During the summit, Rabbi Metzger stated:
Jews have lived in India for over 2,000 years and have never been discriminated against. This is something unparalleled in human history.[26]
As both communities share a history ofreligious hatred,violence,persecution,discrimination, andforced conversions from common sources - namelyMuslims &Christians, the creation ofIsrael as aJewish state byZionists was supported byHindu nationalists who also wanted to makeundivided India aHindu state, most notablyM. S. Golwalkar, who said:
The Jews had maintained their race, religion, culture and language; and all they wanted was their natural territory to complete their Nationality.[29]
Swami Dayananda recognized the similarities of both religions and pointed to the belief in One supreme being, non-conversion, oral recitation of the Veda and the Torah, and the special importance of peace and non-violence. Savarupananda Saraswatiji explained that "Both the Hindu and Jewish communities have a lot in common, we need to discover and nurture these areas for the benefit of millions of people."[30] This meeting included Rabbis such asDaniel Sperber,Yona Metzger, and others. They affirmed a number of points, one of which was:
Their respective traditions teach that there is one supreme being who is the ultimate reality, who has created this world in its blessed diversity and who has communicated Divine ways of action for humanity, for different people in different times and places.[31]
In 2008, a second Hindu-Jewish summit took place in Jerusalem.[32][33] Included in the summit was a meeting between Hindu groups and then Israeli PresidentShimon Peres, where the importance of a strong Israeli-Indian relationship was discussed.[33] The Hindu delegation also met with Israeli politiciansIsaac Herzog andMajalli Whbee.[33] Hindu groups visited and said their prayers at theWestern Wall, and also paid their respects toHolocaust victims.[33] In 2009, a smaller Hindu-Jewish interfaith meeting organized by the World council of Religious Leaders,Hindu American Foundation and the American Jewish Committee was held inNew York andWashington.[32] Hindu and Jewish representatives gave presentations, and participants wore lapel pins combining the Israeli, Indian, and American flags.[32]
About 5,000 Jews reside in India today.[34] TheBnei Menashe are a group of more than 9,000 Jews from the Indian statesManipur andMizoram who have resided in India since as early as 8th century BCE.[35] On 31 March 2005,Sephardi Rabbi,Shlomo Amar, one of Israel's twochief rabbis, accepted the Bnei Menashe's claim of being one of theten lost tribes considering their devotion to Judaism. His decision was significant because it paved the way for all members of Bnei Menashe to enter Israel under Israel'sLaw of Return.[36] In the past two decades, some 1,700 Bnei Menashe members have moved to Israel. Israel has reversed the policy of immigration for the remaining 7,200 Bnei Menashe.
There are some who profess a belief inboth religions: they regard themselves asHinjew, aportmanteau ofHindu andJew.[37][38][39]
Many Jews takevipassana andyoga as a supplement to traditional Hasidic musical meditation anddynamic meditation.[40]
According to a report by thePew Research Center conducted in the US, of all religious groups, Hindus and Jews remain the most successful at retaining their adherents and are the two most educated groups.[41]
In recent times, there has been in an increasing bonhomie betweenHindutva activists and Zionists (especially in online domains), between the Hindu nationalistBharatiya Janata Party & the Jewish nationalistLikud, attributed to their similar ideologies of Islamophobia-centricethnoreligiousnationalism,[42] reflected by massive improvements inIndia-Israel relations under their respective governments. TheModi government had voted against anUNHRC resolution to investigateIsraeli war crimes during2014 Gaza war. In return,Netanyahu government became the onlyWestern country to not criticise the Modi government'santi-Muslim citizenship laws as it also has asimilar law.[43]Hardliner Hindutva clericYogi Adityanath has publicly expressedappreciation for theGaza genocide, similar to thehardliner Zionist activistAmihai Eliyahu.[citation needed]
Lord Krishna is one of the most revered and honored of all the Dharmic Gods. As it is explained and concluded in a variety of Vedic texts,Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, as it is said in Sanskrit,krsnas tu bhagavan svayam (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.28) Krishna is the source of all other incarnations and forms of God.,SB 1.3.28Archived 2019-10-22 at theWayback Machine
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