Posted on 09/02/2008 11:12:48 AM PDT by Alouette
While Barack Obama has struggled to capture the Jewish vote, it turns out that one of his wife’s cousins is the country’s most prominent black rabbi — a fact that has gone largely unnoticed.
Michelle Obama, wife of the Democratic presidential nominee, and Rabbi Capers Funnye, spiritual leader of a mostly black synagogue on Chicago’s South Side, are first cousins once removed. Funnye’s mother, Verdelle Robinson Funnye (born Verdelle Robinson) and Michelle Obama’s paternal grandfather, Frasier Robinson Jr., were brother and sister.
Funnye (pronounced fuh-NAY) is chief rabbi at the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in southwest Chicago. He is well-known in Jewish circles for acting as a bridge between mainstream Jewry and the much smaller, and largely separate, world of black Jewish congregations, sometimes known as black Hebrews or Israelites. He has often urged the larger Jewish community to be more accepting of Jews who are not white.
Funnye’s famous relative gives an unexpected twist to the much-analyzed relationship between Barack Obama and Jews in this presidential campaign. On the one hand, Jewish political organizers, voters and donors played an essential role in Obama’s rise to power in Chicago, including some of the city’s wealthiest and most prominent families. But the Illinois senator has struggled to overcome suspicions in some parts of the Jewish community, including skepticism about his stance on Israel and discredited but persistent rumors that he is secretly a Muslim.
Funnye, who described himself as an independent, said he has not been involved with the Obama campaign but that he has donated money and was cheering it on.
“I know that her grandfather and her father and my mom and all of our relatives that are now deceased would be so very, very proud of both of them,” Funnye told the Forward.
Michelle Obama and the Obama campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
Funnye told the Forward that he has known Michelle Obama (born Michelle Robinson) all her life. His mother and her father, Frasier Robinson III, enjoyed a close relationship, and Funnye said he saw Michelle several times a year when they were growing up, mostly at family functions and on occasional visits to her house.
“Her father was like the glue of our family,” Funnye said. “He always wanted to keep the family very connected and to stay in touch with each other.”
Funnye, 56, said he and Michelle, 44, were not especially close growing up, but he remembers her as “energetic and smart and very caring.”
The two fell out of touch when they grew older and went their separate ways but then reconnected years later when Michelle Obama was working for the University of Chicago and Funnye was leading a local social service organization called Blue Gargoyle. Funnye also worked with Barack Obama, then a state senator, who came and spoke at events for the organization. When Barack and Michelle Obama married, Funnye and his family attended the wedding.
Alhough Funnye’s congregation describes itself as Ethiopian Hebrew, it is not connected to the Ethiopian Jews, commonly called Beta Israel, who have immigrated to Israel en masse in recent decades. It is also separate from the Black Hebrews in Dimona, Israel, and the Hebrew Israelite black supremacist group whose incendiary street harangues have become familiar spectacles in a number of American cities.
Funnye converted to Judaism and was ordained as a rabbi under the supervision of black Israelite rabbis, then went through another conversion supervised by Orthodox and Conservative rabbis. He serves on the Chicago Board of Rabbis.
Funnye’s relationship with the Obama family was reported in the Chicago Jewish News in an article dated August 22. A Wall Street Journal article in April reported that the aspiring first lady had a cousin (whom the paper mistakenly referred to as a second cousin) who is a prominent black rabbi but did not mention Funnye by name.
The rabbi’s familial connection with the Democratic presidential nominee is also a matter of common knowledge in Funnye’s synagogue.
“He really jumped on everyone’s radar after the 2004 convention,” Funnye said. “That’s when some people said, ‘Isn’t he related to you or something?’ I said, ‘Yeah, he’s married to my cousin, and she’s making him everything that he is.’”
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Interesting.
Bullwinkle: Watch me pull a rabbi out of my hat!
Rocky: That trick never works!
This is too funny
That going tick off Far left who are Magic Barry supporters LOL!
About a year or so ago, I was jogging and listening to local talk radio.
For some reason, they had this “ Rabbi “ on and he was laughable.
He spouted Afro Centric gobbedly gook and conspiracy theories while claiming to be a rabbi.
But, it soon became obvious that he had no knowledge of Jewish theology.
The hosts started playing him -like asking questions about The Torah and he would answer that the congregation had a John Deere.
Seriously.
And he was dead serious. I started laughing so hard-I had to stop running.
Please, please,please bring this guy into Obama’s Big Top.
About a year or so ago, I was jogging and listening to local talk radio.
For some reason, they had this “ Rabbi “ on and he was laughable.
He spouted Afro Centric gobbedly gook and conspiracy theories while claiming to be a rabbi.
But, it soon became obvious that he had no knowledge of Jewish theology.
The hosts started playing him -like asking questions about The Torah and he would answer that the congregation had a John Deere.
Seriously.
And he was dead serious. I started laughing so hard-I had to stop running.
Please, please,please bring this guy into Obama’s Big Top.
These Chicago “Black Israelites” are not Ethiopians but an African-American “Israel identity” cult. I believe they have a controversial settlement in Demona, Israel.
Yeah, but the family doesn’t talk about him. );>)
This group might claim to be Jewish and possibly are the mising tribe but they are not really part of the mainstream Jewish movement. I went out and checked their website and the movements web site and from my Reform Jewish roots I find them to be questionable. But hey what do I know anyway.
Didn’t we play that game before with Hillery her great great uncle was a Jew or something like that turns out that all they knew about Jews was they were told to stay away from those bleeping Jews and Hillary called them Bleeping Jews....Besides whats the big deal the New York Jews will vote for the Muslims anyway..
From website:
Biography of Rabbi Caper C. Funnye, Jr.
Capers C. Funnye, Jr. is 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, IL.
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, all located in Chicago, IL; The Black Holocaust Museum, located in Milwaukee, WI; Institute for Jewish and Community Research, San Francisco, CA and the Afro-American Museum, located in Los Angeles, CA.
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; The Chicago Board of Rabbis, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School and Vice President of the Israelite Board of Rabbis.
Rabbi Funnye is married and he and his wife Mary have four children and are the proud grandparents of five grandsons.
Rabbi Funnye is available for lectures and discussion groups.
From website:
Biography of Rabbi Caper C. Funnye, Jr.
Capers C. Funnye, Jr. is 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, IL.
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, all located in Chicago, IL; The Black Holocaust Museum, located in Milwaukee, WI; Institute for Jewish and Community Research, San Francisco, CA and the Afro-American Museum, located in Los Angeles, CA.
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; The Chicago Board of Rabbis, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School and Vice President of the Israelite Board of Rabbis.
Rabbi Funnye is married and he and his wife Mary have four children and are the proud grandparents of five grandsons.
Rabbi Funnye is available for lectures and discussion groups.
You’d think the Obama’s would be wary of being tied to any other religious leaders, considering the last ones they were tied to didn’t help so much.
Ramallah baker makes Barack bagel in honor of Obama visit
By The Associated Press and Asaf Carmel, Haaretz Correspondent
Palestinian baker Nasir Abdul Hadi is so grateful Barack Obama is making time to visit the West Bank that he has named a bagel after him.
The presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. president is spending a few hours in this West Bank city Wednesday, as part of a Mideast tour. Obama’s Republican challenger, John McCain, did not visit the West Bank during a recent trip. The Obama bagel was on display Tuesday at Abdel Hadi’s bakery in downtown Ramallah. It’s baked with cherry tomatoes and mint.
Despite the baker’s enthusiasm, many Palestinians displayed little interest in the Obama visit. Many believe the U.S. is biased in Israel’s favor and that this is unlikely to change after the November elections.
Fan mail from some gefilte fish?
“Pulling a ‘rabbi’ out of a hat” is a good way to describe this attempted trickery. The writer of this story is exhibiting the kind of desperation seen commonly amongst Jewish ‘Rats these days as they see their control over their “reservation” slipping away to a considerable extent.
To quote the old SNL joke about Sammy Davis Jr,
When he found out the UN voted that Zionism was equated with racism, he said, “At last! Now I can finally hate myself!”
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