20 | JANUARY 30 • 2020
| faces&places
Jews in the D
On Sunday, Jan. 19, Rabbi Capers
Funnye, rabbi at Chicago’
s Beth
Shalom B’
nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew
Congregation, spoke to members of
the Metro Detroit Jewish and African
American communities during several
events to commemorate the legacy of
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The day began at Congregation Beth
Shalom in Oak Park, hosted by several
synagogues and the Jewish Community
Relations Council/AJC (JCRC/AJC),
where Funnye discussed having his
overlapping identities and the MLK leg-
acy. Next, he was interviewed by Rabbi
Aaron Starr at a brunch at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek in Southfield about
his journey to Judaism, the history of
Jewish-African American relations and
what is like to be a Jew of color today.
In partnership with the Coalition for
Black and Jewish Unity, a JCRC/AJC
program, and the Council of Baptist
Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity, he spoke
during the council’
s “Celebrating the
Legacy of The Reverend Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.: Making The Dream a
Reality” program at the Russell Street
Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit.
Item provided by JCRC/AJC.
PHOTOS BY ANDREA STINSON OLIVER
CLOCKWISE: Choir, speakers
and attendees at the event at the
Russell Street Missionary Baptist
Church. Terri Flowers, Dr. Pauline
Plummer and Rabbi Daniel Syme.
Rabbi Funnye and U.S. Sen. Debbie
Stabenow. Rabbi Funnye address-
es the crowd at Congregation Beth
Shalom. ABOVE: Chavis Jones,
president of the Duke University
School of Law Black Graduate and
Professional Students Association,
with Rabbi Asher Lopatin, JCRC/
AJC executive director
COURTESY JCRC/AJC