MO's Jewish Cousin, A Rabbi Close to the Obamas
The Forward recently reported that Michelle Obama, wife of Sen. Barack Obama, has a cousin once removed who is a rabbi on Chicago's South Side. His name is Rabbi Capers Funnye (fuhn-AYE) and he is head of Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation (House of Peace for the Children of the Ancient Ethiopian Hebrews).
WTTW Chicago (PBS) did a fascinating piece on Beth Shalom a while back:
My parents live north of Chicago and have been to Beth Shalom a number of times. They say that the energy of the building is unmatched and that curiosity about the traditions, prayers, and customs of African-American Jewry is received with enlightening conversation and gracious enthusiasm.
Indeed, according to The Forward, Funnye is known on Chicago's Board of Rabbis and elsewhere for such dialogue:
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