Rabbi Capers Funnye, who served 41 years at a Chicago congregation, dies at 74
The leader of the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation was a bridge between Black Hebrew Israelite communities and mainstream American Jewish institutions.
By Jonathan Reed ·
Rabbi Capers Funnye died on Monday at age 74 after a battle with cancer, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
He had served as the rabbi of the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Chicago since 1985. A memorial service is scheduled for Friday at the synagogue. Funnye is survived by his wife, Mary, four children, and grandchildren.
Funnye occupied a unique position in American religious life. He was raised in segregated South Carolina and later moved to Chicago. He formally converted to Conservative Judaism as an adult, a step he took to facilitate his work within white Jewish communities. He was also the chief rabbi of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis, a century-old organization, from 2015 until his death.
His tenure was marked by efforts to integrate Black Hebrew Israelite clergy into mainstream Jewish structures. In 2021, he ordained Tamar Manasseh, the first woman in the IIBR to receive rabbinic ordination. He also supported the hiring of Rabbi Eliyahu Collins as the first Israelite rabbi to lead a mainstream synagogue in the United States, a position Collins still holds at Ahavas Sholom in Newark, New Jersey. In another milestone, Funnye and Rabbi Baruch Yehudah became the first Israelite rabbis admitted to the New York Board of Rabbis, a body that had rejected one of Funnye's predecessors decades earlier.
Despite these advancements, tensions persisted between the IIBR and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. In 2023, USCJ leaders published an op-ed arguing that some Israelites associated with the IIBR were not Jewish and that their clergy were not suited to lead mainstream congregations. Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, the CEO of USCJ, stated the organization was concerned with maintaining halachic standards for Jewish lineage. Funnye described the op-ed as extremely racist and noted a lack of investigative work behind it.
Funnye was a cousin of former First Lady Michelle Obama and was frequently referred to as Obama's rabbi. He appeared in the PBS series Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History and was a frequent speaker at synagogues and conferences. He was known for his advocacy of diversity and his rejection of the label Black Hebrew Israelite, which he associated with antisemitic groups. He told the Times of Israel that the IIBR did not speak in disparaging terms about any group.
His death prompted widespread grief on social media, reflecting his broad influence across different Jewish denominations. He had worked for nearly two decades with the non-profit Be’chol Lashon on Jewish diversity issues. His legacy includes a congregation that continues to hold services in Chicago and a growing number of Israelite rabbis integrated into traditional Jewish boards.
