​​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. His master’s thesis focused on Jewish Identity in the Second Temple Period.

 

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.

 

Rabbi Bejarano Gutierrez served as the assistant editor for HaLapid, the quarterly publication for the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies from 2011-2012. He also served as a board member and treasurer for the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies from 2011-2013.

He was also a member of the Union of Traditional Judaism.

 

Rabbi Bejaran Gutierrez has published various articles in HaLapid, The Journal for Spanish, Portuguese and Italian Crypto-Jews, Puntes-Theological Reflections from a Hispanic-Latino Context published by Southern Methodist University, and Academia Letters.

 

He has spoken at a number of conferences and events including the following:

 

Texas A& M Third Annual Crypto-Jewish Symposium 2010: Conference Presentation title “Conversos and the Rise of Secularism.”

 

Southern Methodist University: Hidden Jews of the Southwest Conference 2010: Presentation title “The Religion of Crypto-Judaism.”

 

Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies Conference 2010: Conference Presentation title “Samuel Usque and the Consolations for the Tribulations of Israel.”

 

Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies Conference 2014: Conference Presentation “Samaritans and Conversos in Halakhah: Interesting Comparisons.”

 

Mensa Dallas Gathering 2018 – “The Sephardic Experience and Crypto Jews”.

 

40th Annual HOGAR Hispanic Genealogical Conference 2019: Conference Presentation: “Jewish Conquistadors in the New World.”

 

Congregation Beth Shalom Educational Series 2019: “History of the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula.”

 

Congregation Beth Shalom Educational Series 2019: “What is Jewish Thinking?”

 

Congregation Beth Shalom Educational Series 2019: “The Second Temple Era”

 

Israel Bible Center : “Complex Jewish & Christian Identities”, January 2020.

 

Byron Sherwin Learning Center July 2021: “Reclaiming Enoch: Rediscovering His Importance in Ancient Judaism and Early Rabbinic Thought”

 

ESefarad March 2024: “La identidad compleja de los criptojudíos- The Complex Identity of Crypto-Jews.”

 

Beyond the Headlines - April 2024: “The Rise of the Inquisition.”

 

Society for Crypto Judaic Studies – Kanter Lecture Series– March 2025: “Crypto-Jews and Religious Change.”

Temple Beth Israel -75th Anniversary – June 2025 “The Complex Identity of Crypto-Jews.”

 

Dr. Rabbi Juan Marcos Bejarano Gutierrez is a best-selling author and several of his books have reached number one best-seller status on Amazon in the categories of the Jewish History of Religion, Kabbalah, Interfaith Dialog and others as well. He is also the director of Yeshivat Meor Enaim, an online learning environment for Jewish learning. He is also the rabbi of Congregation Zohar Yisrael, a synagogue committed to embracing and educating Bnei Anusim and Jews from all ethnic backgrounds in a traditional Jewish context and environment.