Author: rambam442013

Rabbi Juan Marcos Bejarano-Gutierrez is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas where he earned a bachelor of science in electrical engineering. He studied at the Siegal College of Judaic Studies in Cleveland and received a Master of Arts Degree with Distinction in Judaic Studies. He completed his doctoral studies at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago in 2015. His doctoral dissertation is titled “Complex Identities: Christian and Jewish Attitudes Towards Conversos” and was accepted in September 2015. He also studied at the American Seminary for Contemporary Judaism and received rabbinic ordination in 2011 from Yeshivat Mesilat Yesharim.

What is Jewish Prayer? An Introduction to the Theology of Jewish Prayer

I am very happy to announce the release of my second book titled What is Jewish Prayer? An Introduction to … More

Mizmor L’David: Psalm 23 in the Judeo-Spanish Tradition

The following is my recording of Psalm 23 (Mizmor L’David) which is sung as part of the Shabbat liturgy, as … More

Spanish Village Named “Kill the Jews” Changes Its Name

For regular readers of this blog, you are well aware of the long history of Jews living in the Iberian … More

Who Owns the Touro Synagogue?

There is a joke about a Jew marooned on a desert island. He is stranded for years but is eventually … More

For the Moment, a Celebration of Coexistence in Turkey

In aftermath of the First World War, the once mighty Ottoman Empire was no more. In its place a Turkish state … More

A Fading Shavuot Tradition from Salonika

The Spanish and Portuguese exiles from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th and 16th centuries found rest in what might … More

How Can You be Jewish and Hispanic?

Several years ago, I had a conversation with a college professor. We were discussing the Muslim conquest of Spain, when … More

The Order of the Pesach Seder in the Judeo-Spanish Tradition

This is another belated video for Passover. The order of the Pesach Seder is chanted in the Judeo-Spanish tradition. The … More

Crypto-Jewish Sabbateans: The Donmeh

The story of Crypto-Judaism usually revolves around Spanish and Portuguese Jews who converted to Catholicisim between the 14th and 16th … More

A Key Social Difference between Sephardim and Ashkenazim

One of the clearest differences in how Christian and Muslim society impacted Jewish communities is in the area of marriage … More