Rabbi Capers Funnye, Michelle Obama's cousin who ran South Side synagogue, broke racial barriers, dies at 74

Summary

<p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>Rabbi Capers C. Funnye Jr. was the chief rabbi of Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation on the Southwest Side, one of the largest black synagogues in America.</p><p>He was also former First Lady Michelle Obama's cousin.</p><p>He was credited with serving as a bridge between mainstream, mostly white, Jews and the smaller community of Black Jewish congregations.</p><p>"Not everybody wants to be a bridge, but for Capers, he did want to do this, and was very dedicated to the work," said Robin Washington, who was a co-founder in 1995, along with Rabbi…

Description from Chicago Sun-Times.