Rabbi Jonathan Benzion was ordained by Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in 2026 from the Cincinnati campus. Originally from Mexico, he has spent much of his life in Israel and France —experiences that have both shaped his approach to Judaism, learning, and community and informed his engagement with Jewish life across cultures and traditions.

Rabbi Benzion’s work brings into dialogue spirituality, philosophy, history, and culture, with particular interests in the Hebrew Bible, Jewish thought, Jewish mysticism, and the history of Iberian Jewry. He also maintains a sustained interest in Islamic history, especially in the development of Islam in Mexico and the broader religious history of the Americas. Rabbi Benzion pursued advanced studies at Hebrew Union College, the University of Haifa, the University of Córdoba, the University of Paris 1 Panthéon–Sorbonne, and Sorbonne Université. He is the author of Embracing Muslims in a Catholic Land: Rethinking the Genesis of Islam in Mexico (Brill, 2022), a study examining the emergence of Islam in colonial Mexico through historical and theological perspectives. He is currently preparing a forthcoming book, Meṭāṭrōn, Maimonidean Monotheism, and the Hebrew Bible: Epistemology, Revelation, and Mediation in Jewish Thought, which explores questions of divine ontology, revelation, and mediation in Jewish tradition through sustained engagement with Kabbalah, classical Jewish thought, metaphysics, halakhah, and Scripture.

During rabbinical school, Rabbi Benzion served as a rabbinical intern at Wise Center in Cincinnati, Temple Anshe Emet in Piqua, Ohio, Hillel Cincinnati, and Northern Hills Synagogue in Cincinnati. He also served as a chaplain-intern at The Jewish Hospital—Mercy Health in Cincinnati. Rabbi Benzion is the recipient of both the Robert L. Adler Prize for service and contribution to the community and the Cora Kahn Prize for excellence in sermon delivery and oratory. Committed to transmitting a love of Torah, Israel, and Jewish learning, Rabbi Benzion seeks to cultivate vibrant and inclusive communities rooted in Scripture and nourished by the wisdom of Jewish tradition. His rabbinate is guided by a desire to foster spiritual growth, deepen intellectual and communal engagement, and bring enduring Jewish teachings into meaningful dialogue with the challenges and possibilities of contemporary life.