Biography of Chief Rabbi Capers Shmuel Funnye, Jr.
Capers C. Funnye, Jr. is Chief Rabbi of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis. In addition, he is the rabbi and spiritual leader of Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, located in Chicago, IL at 6601 S. Kedzie Avenue. Rabbi Funnye also serves as a Senior Research Associate for the Institute of Jewish and Community Research, located in San Francisco, CA.
Rabbi Funnye earned a Bachelor of Arts in Hebrew Literature and rabbinic ordination from the Israelite Board of Rabbis, Inc., Queens, NY. Rabbi Funnye also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jewish Studies and Master of Science in Human Service Administration from Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, Chicago, Illinois.
Rabbi Funnye has served as a consultant to several institutions, including: The Du Sable Museum of African American History, The Chicago Historical Society, The Spertus Museum of Judaica, The Black Holocaust Museum, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Institute for Jewish and Community Research, San Francisco, California, and the Afro-American Museum, located in Los Angeles, California.
Rabbi Funnye has lectured at numerous universities, synagogues, churches and various community organizations throughout the United States. He has appeared on several national and local television programs, and spoken on numerous radio programs both national and local. Rabbi Funnye is involved in a number of boards in the Jewish community. He serves on The Chicago Board of Rabbis, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, and Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School.
Rabbi Funnye is married and he and his wife Mary have four children and are the proud grandparents of five grandsons.
Chief Rabbi of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis
The year-long process by which Chief Rabbi Funnye ascended to this position was open, transparent, and democratic. In accordance with the By-Laws and Constitution of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis, any qualified rabbi of our Board could have run for this office. Rabbi Funnye graciously accepted the nomination from his peers. He submitted a detailed vision statement that clearly and publicly defined his theological beliefs, his position on a number of contemporary issues, and his goals for our future. Rabbi Funnye held forums around the country where he answered questions from the public on a variety of subjects. In recent years he has traveled to South Africa to establish formal relations between the Lemba community. He has met with Black Jews in Nigeria including the Igbo. He has traveled to Uganda to visit with the Abayudaya; their leader, Rabbi Gersham Sizomu, is a voting member of our Board. In addition, Rabbi Funnye has excellent relations with many members of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian) community in Israel as well as the Anusim of South America. Moreover, Rabbi Funnye serves on numerous boards and community organizations. He has been a frequent guest of President Barak Obama at the White House and has met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. Therefore, Rabbi Funnye clearly demonstrated his unsurpassed ability to work with Jews of color all over the world. No one is as trusted or as widely respected among Black Jews as Rabbi Funnye.
During the festival of Sukkot, our Board convened at Bnai Adath Kol Bet Yisrael Congregation in Brooklyn, New York. This was a very scared and somber time. The holiness of the festival enhanced the solemnity of the election; yet, at the same time, a pall hung over these proceedings as we we
re all still mourning the sudden and tragic death of our colleague, Rabbi Zechariah Lewi, the spiritual leader of Commandment Keepers Congregation in Newark, New Jersey. By this final meeting, the issue was no long about Rabbi Funnye and his qualifications; it was about us and whether we had the courage to elevate our brother to this position of authority. The voting was secret and included ballots from every segment of our community. When the tally was counted and we realized that the outcome was unanimous, we embraced each other with tears in our eyes. Then we went into the sanctuary, sat our chief rabbi in the center of our circle, laid our hands upon him, and took turns praying for him, imploring the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to bless Chief Rabbi Funnye with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that he might lead our people. In my thirty years as a rabbi, I have never been more proud of our community nor more confident in its leaders.
History was made again on October 24, 2015. On that date Rabbi Funnye was installed as our chief rabbi at his home congregation, Beth Shalom Bnai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, in Chicago, Illinois. Over 300 Black Jews attended the events that unfolded over the course of the weekend. Delegation arrived representing Israelite congregations from around the country. Many individuals came who attend White congregations in their home towns, but simply wanted to enjoy the fellowship and beauty of seeing so many Jews of color. The words of the prophet came to mind as we saw our people in our space celebrating our leader: “Everyone shall sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”( Micah 4:4) Letters of congratulations poured in from such dignitaries as Michelle Obama, who wrote to her cousin, Rabbi Funnye, “As you prepare to lead the International Israelite Board of Rabbi, I send my warmest congratulations;” United States Senator Richard Durbin sent a letter praising Rabbi Funnye for his decades of service; and letters were read from the African communities of Jews in South Africa, Uganda, and Nigeria.
The rabbis changed into their white robes in preparation for the installation ceremony. The congregation rose as the procession marched slowly toward the Binah, chanting in Hebrew the first line of Psalm 133, “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity.” The chief rabbis was seated in a large chair draped in white and flanked by his sons. One by one, each rabbi ascended the Binah, bowed, and presented their chief rabbi with a silver coin that symbolized their trust, loyalty, and allegiance. The choir sung the Sh’ma in hushed tones as the congregation watched in awe. Several proclamations were read including the formal charter giving Chief Rabbi Funnye the legal authority to represent Black Jews affiliated with the International Israelite Board of Rabbis. When this document was shown to the audience, the house went up in thunderous applause. The symbols of office were presented and then the chief rabbi went before the open ark and prayed in silence. When Chief Rabbi Funnye addressed the congregation, he spoke with great humility as he thanked the rabbis and laity for the honored that was bestowed upon him. He evoked the memories of beloved rabbis who preceded him in generations past. He thanked his teachers and those who helped him in life and he promised that “our voices will be heard around the world.” He told the assembly that they “must be ready to go out to all the places where are people thirst for knowledge and truth.” Chief Rabbi Funnye closed the ceremony by leading the gathering in an Israelite song called “Unity.”
The banquet on Sunday was a gala celebration. It took place above Spertus College of Judaica in a space called “Venue Six10” overlooking Lake Michigan. It was an elegant, black-tie affair. Live music was provided by a band that included Israelite musicians. Among the many dignitaries and well-wishers was Dr. Michael Orin, the former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, current member of the Israeli Knesset, and a dear friend to Chief Rabbi Funnye. Dr. Orin conveyed his heart-felt congratulations to the honoree and expressed his hope that the Israelite community will be accepted by all Jews in a true spirit of brotherhood.
Since his installation, Chief Rabbi Funnye has called for an international convention of Black Jews from all of the world to be held in New York City in June of 2016. At that conference he plans to further solidify our unity and formulate a common set of goals and objectives. He has done interviews with major newspaper such as the Washington Post. And, he has received congratulatory messages from Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative rabbis who were inspired by this development. On the other hand, he has heard the common misplaced criticism that Black people segregate themselves when they create Black organizations of any kind. We note that none of these dissenters level these accusations at the chief rabbi of Poland, or the chief rabbi Paris, of the grand rebbes of the Hassidim; they never say that White chief rabbis are segregating themselves and their communities from participation and identification with the larger Jewish world. Neither are we. The strength and future of Judaism depends on our ability to expand our diversity. Chief Rabbi Funnye understands and welcomes this challenge. His elevation to this office is not a problem; it is part of the solution. We pray that Chief Rabbi Funnye will be successful and that we will witness the day when the children of Israel will be a numerous as the “stars in heaven and the sand upon the sea shore.” (Genesis 22:17)
Rabbi Funnye with his cousin Michelle, President Obama, and wife Mary at the White House.