We at Yisrael Today are honored to say that Rabbi Funnye of the Chicago chapter of the International Board of Rabbis (that supports the Yisraelite Organization of Unity) and Rabbi Gershom leader of the Abayudaya community in Uganda were invited to the White House as representatives of the Black Jews and Hebrew Israelite Communities. 

The photo above shows Rabbi Funnye and his wife at the Chanukah (on the 10th) event with President Bush and his wife in the spirit of public relations.  The first public relations event he appeared in was at a thanksgiving service in Rockerfeller chapel at the University of Chicago were he delivered the sermon to the packed audience (an article of the Chicago Tribune newspaper shown on the right) were he informed them of the centuries old present of 350,000 black Ethiopian Jews in the Americas after migrating from east Africa. 

Rabbi Capers Funnye's congregants are predominantly African Americans from the South Side of Chicago. Services at Beth Shalom would be familiar to any shul-goer. The full Torah portion is read in Hebrew from a scroll. Prayers are chanted mostly in English from the Artscroll Siddur, a widely used Orthodox prayer book. Men and women sit separately, but there is no physical barrier, or mechitzah, between them. After services, Funnye blesses the wine and bread in Hebrew before digging into a lunch of chicken, turkey and spaghetti. But the congregation also maintains traditions uniquely their own that are deeply colored by the African-American experience. After the Torah service, a Gospel-style choir takes the stage and - accompanied by a CD and live drums and guitar - performs several numbers, including "Lift Every Voice," also known as the "Black National Anthem." Men greet each other by grasping at the elbow and bringing their heads together three times, symbolic of the three forefathers. Some wear pendants with maps of Africa around their necks.

The rabbi is bringing his congregants closer to the broader Chicago Jewish community in ways most of his African American rabbinical colleagues have not yet dared.

Funnye's acceptance by the broader Jewish community was made possible in part by his willingness to undergo a formal conversion - or "reversion" as he likes to say - with a mixed rabbinic court of Orthodox and Conservative rabbis in 1985.

All newcomers to Beth Shalom are required to do the same, including immersion in a mikvah and, for men, a ritual drawing of blood to symbolize the covenant.  For men who are not circumcised, Funnye makes them undergo the full procedure, conducted under anaesthetic with the assistance of an Orthodox urologist. He estimates that he has converted 40 members of his congregation.

"If they came here to this congregation under my leadership and under my tutelage, then they had to go through the 'standard halachic precepts' for one to be a Jew," Funnye said. "But that does not diminish our understanding that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were Jews of color."

Funnye is one of the few Jews, black or white, working actively to bridge the racial divide among Jews.   "I have made it my point, on a personal level, to involve myself in the Jewish community," Funnye said. "I've worked for Jewish organizations. I've graduated from Jewish institutions. My children went to Jewish day school." "It's important for me, on a very personal level, for my children and for other Jews, to see Judaism is beyond any racial group," Funnye said.  He is also believed to be the only black rabbi in the country to serve on his local board of rabbis, and he cooperates with a number of Jewish communal institutions, including Tobin's institute, where he is a research associate. He encourages exchanges between his congregation and mainstream synagogues in Chicago's northern suburbs.  

In part, the divide is a legacy of segregation that still separates black and white churches, as well as synagogues. It also stems from what Gary Tobin, president of the Institute for Jewish and Community Research describes as the Jewish community's "obsessively silly" preoccupation with who qualifies as a Jew. "I think Jews, having been rejected, persecuted and discriminated against all these centuries, have incorporated a kind of self-criticism and overbearing concern with who's in and who's out," Tobin said. "It's kind of an internalized oppression at this point. While it's a legitimate concern, Jews have become obsessed with it. You don't find Catholics, Episcopalians and Muslims spending the amount of time Jews do deciding who's a real Muslim and who's a real Catholic." "What's interesting about Capers is that he bridges the world between white, normative mainstream Judaism in the United States," Tobin said. "He's unique, which is unfortunate."

Though it's been two decades since Funnye first participated formally in a mainstream Jewish organization, the memory still causes him to stretch out in his chair, throw his head back and let out a hearty belly laugh. "I wasn't invited to the first Jewish-African American conclaves," Funnye recalled. "Until one Protestant, very prominent minister, back in the 80s, made an accusation about the Jews being racist and using black people.  And one rabbi said, 'Oh no. We have black Jews!'"

After the his attendance of the White House Chanukah ceremony we at Yisrael Today talk with Rabbi Funnye and ask him to describe the event; how he was invited by the President and what happened at the Chanukah ceremony?  “Monday December 10, 2007 was a water-shade day for the Israelite community in the United States.” He said.  “My wife Rabbinit Miriam and I attended a reception at the White House in honor of Chanukah.  I was very surprised when I received a call from Jeremy Katz, the White House Deputy-Chief-of-Staff for Jewish affairs. We talked about my attending a private meeting with President Bush. In light of the fact that December was Human Rights Month, President Bush wanted to conduct a panel discussion on religious oppression.  The President wanted to hear stories from different Jewish leaders who had suffered religious oppression in their native countries.  After three conversations with Mr. Jeremy Katz, he understood that I was not from Ethiopia. The name of the congregation is Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation.  Ethiopia is apart of the name of several congregations of African American Jews.  For the Black Jewish community, Ethiopia represents a distinct part of our heritage as Jews, therefore it is apart of our name. He explained that President Bush and his advisors, wanted immigrants to the United States at the private meeting.”   Rabbi Capers Funnye was also ordained at the place where all such black Israelite rabbis are trained, at the Israelite Rabbinical Academy, by Rabbi Abihu Reuben. 

Abihu Reuben was one of the early pioneers in the Israelite community.  Rabbi Reuben was the founder of “The Congregation of Ethiopian Hebrews” in Chicago.  He was also the President of the Israelite Board of Rabbis, Inc. (Midwest Region).  He was one of the first rabbis to graduate from Rabbi Wentworth Matthew’s Rabbinical College in New York (also he was one of the leaders in charge of a group called the ‘Commandment Keepers’ Congregation in the 1950’s).  Rabbi Reuben was an active force in Israel for over forty years.  At the age of 71 Rabbi Reuben wrote a book about his years of service with Elohim.  During his forty years of service for the Most High, Rabbi Reuben had travelled extensively throughout the world.  As a result of his travels and additional training, Rabbi Reuben spoke several dialects of Hebrew and various other languages fluently.

Most modern Rabbis from within the Black Jewish community originated from Rabbi Wentworth Matthew’s Rabbinical College in New York in the late 50’s or early 60’s.  The Ethiopian Hebrew Rabbinical College was originally established in 1925 by Wentworth Matthew a young Jewish man from Africa that was thought to have fulfilled an 1830 prophecy by a free American Ethiopian named Robert Alexander Young in his newsletter of an Ethiopian who God will “prepare for them a leader, who awaits but his season to proclaim to them his birthright”. 

In his letter he states, “Ethiopians! Open your minds to reason; let therein weigh the effects of truth, wisdom, and justice, (and a regard to your individual) as general good, and the spirit of these our words, we know full well, cannot but produce the effect for which they are by us here from intended.  Know, then, in your present state or standing, in your sphere of government in any nation within which you reside, we hold and contend you enjoy but few of your rights of government within them… 

Beware! Know thyselves [slaveholders] to be but mortal men doomed to the good or evil, as your works shall merit from you…

But learn, slaveholders, thine will rests not in thine hand: God decrees to thy slave his rights as a man.  This we issue forth as the spirit of the black man or Ethiopian’s right, established from the Ethiopian’s Rock, the foundation of his civil and religious rights, which hereafter will be exemplified in the order of its course… As came John the Baptist, of old, to spread abroad the forthcoming of his master, so alike are intended these our words, to denote to the black African or Ethiopian people, that God has prepared for them a leader, who awaits but his season to proclaim to them his birthright….”

There was also another witness to the Ethiopian presence in America in David Walker’s 80 page pamphlet entitled Walker’s Appeal, in Four Articles: Together With a Preamble, to the Coloured Citizen of the World, But in Particular, and Very Expressly, to Those of the United States of America Written in Boston, State of Massachusetts, September 28, 1829.

Within it he states, “Let them remember, that though our cruel oppressors and murderers may (if possible) treat us more cruel, as Pharoah did the children of Israel, yet the God of the Etheopeans has been pleased to hear our moans in consequence of oppression; and the day of our redemption from abject wretchedness draweth near, when we shall be enabled, in the most extended sense of the word, to stretch forth our hands to the LORD our God but there must be a willingness on our part, for GOD to do these things for us, for we may be assured that he will not take us by the hairs of our head against our will and desire, and drag us from our very, mean, low and abject condition.”  “God may not effect by the oppressed, yet the Lord our God will bring other destructions upon them—for not unfrequently will he cause them to rise up one against another, to be split and divided, and to oppress each other, and sometimes to open hostilities with sword in hand.  Some may ask, what is the matter with this united and happy people? – Some say it is the cause of political usurpers, tyrants, oppressions, and etc. But has not the Lord an oppressed and suffering people among them?” “And yet they are calling for Peace! Peace!! Will any peace be given unto them? Their destruction may indeed be procrastinated awhile, but can it continue long, while they are oppressing the Lord’s people?”  (For more of this publication, click here to read at http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/walker/walker.html).

Another man also invited in 1957 to attend the Commandment Keepers Congregation in Harlem, New York was Levi ben Levy.  It was there that he met the person who had the most profound affect on his life, Chief Rabbi Matthew.  He was entered the Ethiopian Hebrew Rabbinical College in 1960 and was ordained as a rabbi by Chief Rabbi Matthew with great public acclaim in 1967. 

In 1971, Rabbi Levy together with Rabbi Yisrael, Rabbi Yahonatan, Rabbi Woods, and Rabbi Paris—all students of Chief Rabbi Matthew – set out to revive their alma mater, the Ethiopian Hebrew Rabbinical College that was established in 1925.  They expanded the curriculum and renamed their college ‘The Israelite Rabbinical Academy’.  As other rabbis joined their ranks, and eager, dedicated men enrolled as students, a unified organizational body emerged which was first known as the Israelite Board of Rabbis and later, after establishing boards and chapters in other cities and then in Barbados, became the International Israelite Board of Rabbis.

Four years after the death of Chief Rabbi Matthew in 1973, the rabbis of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis elected Rabbi Levy to be the next ‘Chief Rabbi’. The former Chief Rabbi Levi Ben Levy was one of the most dynamic black rabbis in America.  He provided vital leadership for his people during the second half of the twentieth century as a teacher, speaker, community-organizer, founder of synagogues, and builder of organizations.  Together with his many colleagues, he provided continuity with the past by preserving the work and memory of his teacher and their founder, Chief Rabbi W.A. Matthew.  By combining vision with action, Chief Rabbi Levy helped to define who we were as a people and greatly influenced the direction of our progress.  

The Black Jews communities’ connections with the mainstream Jewish American communities in organizations such as the Council of Black & White Rabbis; the Association of Black & White Jews in Philadelphia; Hatzaad Harishon in New York; and Shir Hadash in Los Angeles.   In addition, former Presidents of the United States of America have also offered their support to our community in the past, yet it is a rare occasion when the Israelite community is recognized in official matters by an Administration. 

At these times a few rabbis began to reach out to other white rabbinical communities in order to bridge the racial gaps.  This was the Council of Black and White Rabbis located 437 Chestnut Street, Suite 408; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106.  Though the Council of Black and White Rabbis, guest speakers can be gotten who are thoroughly conversant on the subject of Black Jews as well as Black Jewish-White Jewish relations.  These speakers live in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and elsewhere.  These efforts were eventually recognized by some rabbis and political officials.  The picture to the left shows President Nixon and the Rabbi of a Conservative Congregation participate in a Sefer Torah ceremony with the Rabbi of an Israelite Congregation with another guest Rabbi and Cantor. 

Now when Rabbi Funnye with his wife Miriam attended the Chanukah reception that took place; participants in this annual White House meeting that marked the Jewish festival of Chanukah also gave witness to the televised press conference that Bush confirmed reports he would make his first trip to Israel in January since taking office.  We asked him to describe for us the event.  “About two-hundred and fifty guest attended the affair.  Rabbinit and I stayed about one block from the White House and the weather in Washington, D.C. was fantastic.” he said.   “When we arrived for the reception, we saw Rabbi and Rabbinit Manny Vinas, from New York, along with our beloved brother, Rabbi Gershom Simozu, from Uganda.  It was at that time that I learned that my two colleagues, Rabbi Gershom and Rabbi Vinas, were at the White House for the private meeting with President Bush. I must say that I was filled pride to learn that two of my colleagues from the Be’Chol Lashon Think Tank, under the leadership of my good friend Dr. Gary Tobin, had the opportunity to meet personally with the President of the United States.”  “As invited guess, we had the opportunity to have our pictures taken with President and Mrs. Bush. The evening was truly a memorable one, which Mary and I will never forget.” “I do not know if this is the first time that members of the Israelite community, were invited to the White House. Nevertheless, I felt the presence of Chief Rabbis Matthew and Levy, Rabbi Abihu Reuben, and all of the men and women that came before me, as I walked through the doors of the White House” said Rabbi Funnye.

The other rabbi that Rabbi Funnye saw at the event, Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, who is a 39-year-old leader of the Abayudaya, a group of some 800 Black Jews in eastern Uganda whose ancestors have practiced the religion for nearly a century.  Gershom Sizomu is the grandson of community elder "Rabbi" Samson. He is married to Tziporah and has two children. He plays guitar and writes music for the community. Gershom also speaks Hebrew, leads the community's religious observances, and is the Abayudaya's mohel. He is headmaster of the community's high school, where he teaches history, economics, Hebrew and Judaism. He was youth leader of the Abayudaya community from 1988 to 1998.  He lived near the Moses Synagogue which he and others from the community's early 1980s "Kibbutz movement" built with their own hands. 

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