Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation
Black Hebrew Israelite synagogue in Chicago
41°46′24″N 87°42′09″W / 41.7733333°N 87.7025°W / 41.7733333; -87.7025 (Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken)
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Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, more commonly known as Beth Shalom B'Nai Zaken EHC, or simply Beth Shalom, abbreviated as BSBZ EHC, is a Black Hebrew Israelite[1][2][3] congregation and synagogue, located at 6601 South Kedzie Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. The congregation is led by rabbi Capers Funnye; and assistant rabbis are Avraham Ben Israel and Joshua V. Salter.[4] Beth Shalom is affiliated with the International Israelite Board of Rabbis.[5]
Overview
The congregation has approximately 200 members, the majority of whom are African American.[6][7] The congregation was started by Rabbi Horace Hasan from Bombay, India, in 1918 as the Ethiopian Hebrew Settlement Workers Association,[8] and was influenced by Wentworth Arthur Matthew's Commandment Keepers.[6][7]
Along with African-Americans, members include Hispanic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews, as well as former Christians and Muslims. As is traditional with Judaism, they do not seek converts, and members must study Judaism for a year before undergoing a traditional conversion requiring men to be ritually circumcised and women to undergo ritual immersion in a mikvah.[8]
The congregation has been described as being "somewhere between Conservative and Modern Orthodox" with distinctive African-American influences; while men and women sit separately as in Orthodox synagogues, a choir sings spirituals to the beat of a drum.[8] It follows traditional Jewish liturgy and laws, including Sabbath and "a modified version of kosher dietary laws".[9]
The congregation is currently housed in a previously existing synagogue purchased from the Lawn Manor Hebrew Congregation, a Conservative temple of Ashkenazi Lithuanian Jews at West 66th Street and South Kedzie Avenue in the Marquette Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side.[8][9][10]
References
- ^ Kestenbaum, Sam (October 15, 2015). "With new chief rabbi, black Hebrew-Israelites make bid to enter the Jewish mainstream". Haaretz. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Sokol, Sam (December 17, 2019). "Black Hebrew Israelite Leader Condemns Jersey City Shooting". Haaretz. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Washington, Robin (December 18, 2019). "Who Black Hebrew Israelites Are—And Who They Are Not". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Divine Law or Sexism?". NPR. July 12, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- ^ "Visit Our Synagogues" (PDF). International Israelite Board of Rabbis. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Chireau, Yvonne (2000). "Black Culture and Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism, 1790–1930, an Overview". In Yvonne Patricia Chireau; Nathaniel Deutsch (eds.). Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 48. ISBN 0-19-511257-1.
- ^ a b Angell, Stephen W. (Spring 2001). "Yvonne Chireau and Nathaniel Deutsch, eds , Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism". The North Star: A Journal of African American Religious History. 4 (2). Archived from the original on April 7, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Koppel, Niko (2008-03-16). "Black Rabbi Reaches Out to Mainstream of His Faith". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Chafets, Zev (April 5, 2009). "Obama's Rabbi". The New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- ^ Hecktman, Adam. "Lawn Manor Hebrew Congregation". Archived from the original on July 1, 2017.
External links
- Official website
- Funnye Jr., Rabbi Capers. "Voices on Antisemitism" (Interview). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Archived from the original (transcript) on May 6, 2009.
