Mazal Tov Rabbi Tamar Manasseh

The Israelite community celebrates the ordination of Rabbi Tamar Manasseh. On July 24, 2021, Tamar Manasseh became the first woman to receive ordination by the International Israelite Board of Rabbis.  She successfully completed the rabbinic program at the Israelite Academy over a decade ago; however, it was not until 2019 that the Bet Din (the court of the Israelite community) ruled that ordination of women is permissible. Chief Rabbi Capers Funnye, who has vigorously supported the elevation of women to higher positions of leadership in our community, exercised his authority and performed the ordination at Beth Shalom Bnai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Chicago before a packed audience of friends and family. He said, “Our community needs the talents and energy that women like Tamar possess. I felt that it was my duty and my honor to move our community forward in this way. Each congregation is still free to make their own decisions in this matter, but as for me and my congregation, will allow women to serve the Lord as rabbis.”

Rabbi Manasseh grew up as a member of Beth Shalom Bnai Zaken. She graduated from a Hebrew day school before entering the Israelite Academy. She was a brilliant student and excellent Torah scholar. In 2012, she published her widely acclaimed autobiography, Chai-Me, a memoir that describes her journey to Judaism and her unique challenges as a woman of color.  In 2020 she was the focus of a documentary entitled “The Ain’t Ready For Me.” The film was directed by Brad Rothschild and was shown at Lincoln Center in New York and at venues around the country. Rabbi Manasseh is a writer, speaker, and activist, but her passion in recent years has been leading a courageous crusade against gun violence in the Black community. In 2015, Rabbi Manasseh founded a community watch group called “Mothers Against Senseless Killings.”  Almost any day of the week, she and her brave allies can be found on the streets of Chicago protecting our youth and attempting to address the underlying causes of their pain and rage.

The Israelite community welcomes Rabbi Tamar Manasseh to the struggle to repair the world.