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.

The Economic Differences between the Sephardim and Ashkenazim

While the idea of Convivencia (positive social interaction and tolerance) is perhaps exaggerated with regards to Jewish life in Spain, the … More

The Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue in Curaçao

A few weeks ago I posted about my visit to the Touro Synagogue, the oldest synagogue building in the United … More

Jewish Wedding in a Turkish Synagogue

When faced with the edicts of Expulsion in Castile and Aragon and eventually in Portugal, one of the principal regions … More

Mah Nistanah in the Sephardic Syrian Tradition

I had intended to post this before Passover, but better late than never. This version of the Mah Nishtanah is … More

Samuel Usque’s Approach to Wavering Conversos

Once Conversos fled Spain and Portugal, returning to Judaism openly was not always an attractive option. Many Conversos wavered in … More

Benjamin Netanyahu and his Sephardic Roots

B”H The current Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu is known for his right of center policies and tough stance … More

The Concept of Taqiyya and its Impact on Iberian Jewry

The Islam conquest of Spain began in 711 CE and would extend over parts of the Iberian Peninsula through the … More

Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal

B”H Since I am traveling on business to Canada later this year, I decided to do some research on the … More

The Sabbatean Prophets

B”H Traveling on business can be difficult but one benefit is that it gives me the opportunity to read. I … More

Spanish Judaism, the Inquisition, and Identity in the New World

B”H Roger Martinez, a professor at the University of Colorado and former president of the Society of Crypto-Judaica Studies, and … More