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.He was also former First Lady Michelle Obama's cousin.He was credited with serving as a bridge between mainstream, mostly w hite, Jews and the smaller community of Black Jewish congregations."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 Funnye, of the Alliance of Black Jews."The Alliance only lasted for a few years but we got the word out that Black Jews exist," said Washington, who serves as editor-at-large of the Jewish Forward, an online publication.Rabbi Funnye, who began leading the synagogue in Marquette Park in 1985, died Monday from cancer. He was 74."He forced the world to recognize that Black Jews existed whether they wanted to recognize that or not," said longtime congregant and Rabbi Tamar Manasseh. "He brought us out of obscurity and said 'Like it or not, we're not going anywhere, enough is enough and I'm tired of Black Jews being on the margins and invisible,' and that was uncomfortable for people, but he didn't care, and he would sit through the discomfort until it got to a point where we would go visit congregations where there were no Blacks, and they would come visit us."He would say 'We have got to learn to actually be tolerant of each other. And he really integrated Judaism in Chicago. He was the first Black Rabbi on the Chicago Board of Rabbis. He broke a lot of barriers and he did it here in Chicago," Manasseh said.Rabbi Funnye's congregation posted a note on Facebook Wednesday reading, in part: "Rabbi Funnye has touched countless lives with his spiritual leadership, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to our congregation and the broader Hebrew Israelite community. His legacy of faith, service, and dedication will continue to inspire generations."Rabbi Funnye attended Barack Obama's first inauguration in January 2009, and the New York Times ran a profile on him in April of that year."He was very proud of Michelle and Barack, very, very proud," Manasseh said.Rabbi Funnye attended eight White House Hanukkah celebrations during the Obama's time there."He never exploited that relationship," said longtime friend Rabbi Baruch Yehudah, who heads up a congregation in Brooklyn. "He respected their space and understood they were not there to pick up his battles. He loved Michelle and liked to talk about funny stories from when she was little." Rabbi Capers Funnye receiving his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Richard J. Daley College in January 2021.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file Rabbi Funnye was born in 1952, in Georgetown, S.C., and attended Howard University. He received a degree in Hebrew literature and a rabbinic ordination from the International Israelite Board of Rabbis. He earned degrees in Jewish studies and human services administration from the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in Chicago, according to Washington."He was the quintessential people person," Yehudah said. "He had a laugh that was contagious and he wanted people to be happy and he found a way to accept everybody for who they were without judgement."Mr. Funnye grew up Christian, but began his path to Judaism in the early 70s, Yehudah said.Mr. Funnye is survived by his wife, Mary Funnye, as well as four children and multiple grandchildren.A celebration of life is scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m. at Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, 6601 S. Kedzie Ave. Rabbi Capers C. Funnye Jr., of the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, standing in the sanctuary of the synagogue in September 2008.Associated Press ...read more read less