Chief Rabbi Funnye’s Message For The New Year 5782

Rosh Hashanah/Yom Teruah 5782

Chief Rabbi Capers Shmuel Yefuneh

Shanah Tova, greetings to Kol Adath B’nai Yisrael. As we approach this holy season, I wanted to share with the Israelite community something that I read entitled, “Why Black Organizations Have Failed in the Past!” You might ask what this topic has to do with Yom Teruah, the time of our hearing the Shofar in our houses of worship? I believe that we can glean something from this piece, and I ask you to take these words to heart as we move into the year 5782. Prayerfully we can all become more productive and more tolerant of each other in the coming year.

“Why Black Organizations Have failed in the Past”: Here are a few tactics by conscious and unconscious Black men and women to bring about the death of Black institutions and organizations:

1. Don’t have an accurate understanding of the Organization’s programs and objectives. Do not attend briefing sessions and therefore find yourself unable to push the programs of the organization.
2. Don’t attend meetings. If you do, come on your own time and leave when you get ready, even if it’s in the middle of the meeting.
3. Never offer constructive advice or criticism to the organization, and if you anything negative or inimical to say, say it on the outside where it can be heard only by the enemies of the organization.
4. When a decision is made by the collective, go home and speak negatively about the decision and do nothing unless it is in opposition to the collective decision.
5. Upon becoming part of the organization, always push your personality and program, and refuse to adapt to the programs and personality of the organization.
6. Always find fault with the people in position of responsibility, and do not discuss it with them, but go to enemies outside the organization with your criticism.
7. Be as inactive as possible while always talking about the organization is not doing and what it should be doing.
8. If asked about your inactivity, space on the question and speak about the inactivity of others to cover yourself.
9. When attending a meeting, always sit in the back of the room where you can talk while the proceedings are going on.
10. Get all of the benefits that the organization can offer, but give nothing in return. This will surely limit the growth of the organization. Always try to get more than you contribute.
11. Talk collective cooperation but never cooperate. Always eat but never bring food.
12. If you can’t have your way, threaten to resign and push to see that others leave with you.
13. Never fulfill your obligations. If asked to help, never have time; and when you do take an assignment—half-do-it.
14. Seek leadership positions, but do not work and study commensurate with the position you seek.
15. Always maintain a negative attitude toward the organization as well as its members. In fact, make negativism your program.
16. Never offer anything constructive in the development of an ideological or philosophical base to operate from; but be highly critical of what everyone else offers.
17. Refuse to end your insane love for individualism and embrace collectivism.
18. Think Eurocentric instead of Afrocentric.

I offer these words to you as we move into 5782; let our work for the ICVC, the International Israelite Board of Rabbis, Bet Din, The Israelite Academy, and our membership in our various Knesset’s within our community be driven by our commitment to be the best members that we can be. In the Haftorah for Ke Tavo; we read Isaiah 60: 1-22; “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; But upon thee the Lord will arise, And His glory shall be seen upon thee. And nations shall walk at thy light, And kings at the brightness of thy rising.”    

It is our time now! Those for Yah are with us! Shana Tova U’Metukah.