KITSAPSUN «Saturday, July18, 2015 «11A Religion ‘A global people’ ■ , acousintoMichelleObama,teaches aboutdiversity of Jewish faith

By ManyaBrachear Pashman or ordination,fromNew York’s ChicagoTribune (TNS) IsraeliteAcademy. Buthealsohad earned arep- —When RabbiCapers utationfor engaging theJewish Funnye Jr.entersanunfamil- communityinmatters of social iarsynagogue at dawn to join justiceand openingminds. thedaily recitation of Hebrew “Hehad made atremendous prayers, hispresence inevitably mark on thecommunity,” You- prompts questions. dovinsaid. “Wehad to stretch, The63-year-old African- andwefeltsince he wasaspecial American occasionally shares person,hewould be agoodguy hisstory aboutgrowing up in the to stretchwith.” AMEchurchonChicago’s South Since then,the number of Side, then discoveringJudaism seminaries whose graduates as an adult. Or he makeslight of areadmittedtothe boardhas thesuggestionthathedoesn’t expanded. belong by tellingbemused skep- Funnye is expected to assume tics he picked up aprayershawl hisinternational dutiesduring andskullcapoutside andwanted aformalinstallation in Chicago to seehow they worked. thisfall. However, hisappoint- Funnye (pronouncedfun-AY) mentisnot automatic. Thedoz- knowswhy people ask, buthe ensofrabbiswho make up the wantsthattochange. boardmustoverwhelmingly “Unfortunately,byand large, approvehim as “the rabbi to the when yousee anyimagery of .”Infact, theposition has Jews in theUnitedStates, very been vacant for16years. seldom do yousee membersof Butoverthe past year,congre- my community,”saidFunnye, gationshavehad theopportunity wholives in Chicago’sBeverly to review Funnye’s proposed neighborhood. “But we have TNS phoTo agenda,which many support. African-,Afri- RabbiCapersFunnye, of Beth Shalom Bnai ZakenEthiopian hebrew Congregation,standsinhis on July He intendstoadd women to the canJews, Filipino Jews,Mexi- 9inChicago. he is expected to become thechief rabbi of theIsraelites this fall. Israeliteboard,establish closer canJews, whiteJewsand biracial ties with theEthiopianJewsnow Jews.Itisreallywhatthe Jew- race relationsinthe U.S.,Funnye againstabackdropofparticular jobsand housing andaddress- in Israel andpublish acommon ishpeople, in fact, have always hopestouse hisprominence as tensionbetween African-Amer- ingracismand anti-Semitism,” prayer book that honors victims looked like.…Wehavetopro- chiefrabbi to improverace re- icansand American Jews.The Ramseysaid. “Itwas very much of theHolocaustaswellasthe mote that Jews have always been lationsinJewishcommunities solidarity establishedduring asharedagenda.” Middle Passage,whenmillions aglobalpeople.” around theworld. thecivil rights erahad begunto Buthis leadership andcongre- of Africans were transported Funnye,the spiritualleaderof TheEthiopianHebrewmove- erodeasaffirmative action de- gantsraised eyebrows,Ramsey crossthe Atlantic to become Beth Shalom B’naiZaken Ethio- menttowhich Funnye belongsis bates unfolded andprominent said. slaves. pian Hebrew Congregation in oneofafew blackJewishmove- blackleaders blamed theJewish “The predominatelyCauca- Funnye alreadyhas traveled theMarquette Park neighbor- ments nowunderthe Israelite establishmentfor oppression. sian communitywasn’tquite to Israel to meet with Prime hood,sooncould have theplat- umbrella,all of whichbelieve Alow pointcamein1984when sure what to make of theAfri- MinisterBenjaminNetanyahu form to setthe record straight they areJewsofAfrican descent. Democratic presidentialcan- can-American Jewish congre- to pressfor more acceptance of aboutrace anddiversity within ButIsraeliteshaveremained didate theRev.Jesse Jackson gationsinChicago,” shesaid. blackJewsaroundthe world. theAmerican Jewish commu- largelyoutside themainstream referred to NewYorkas“Hymi- “There wasalot of questioning: Although Funnye took what nity. Jewish communitybecause they etown.”Helater apologized for ‘Are they Jews?’” he considered theextrastepof AcousintofirstladyMichelle oftenaren’tconsideredJewish usingthe derogatory term. Thesamekindofskepticism converting to Judaism—orre- Obamawho spentmanyaSun- withoutatraditional Jewish Jane Ramsey, then-executive surfacedwhenFunnyebecame verting, as he preferstocallit— dayafternoon with herfamily conversion. director of theJewishCouncil on thefirstand only blackrabbi to he says that isn’tnecessary for whilegrowing up on theSouth “The communityisnot will- UrbanAffairs, said thecouncil join theChicago BoardofRab- otherIsraelitesand theirrabbis. Side, Funnye is poised to become ingtohaveanybodydictate our hadgoneout of itsway to galva- bisin1997. RabbiIra Youdovin, He hadhis ownreasons. thetitular head of theInterna- righttopracticeTorah andhave nize communitiesaround social then-executive vice presidentof “I wasalready aJew in my tional IsraeliteBoard of Rabbis, ourown community,”saidRabbi justicebut,until Funnye came theboard,saidatthe time that heart,”hesaid. “Itvalidated whichincludes blackJewsin Baruch Yehudah, international along, hadn’t considered engag- theboard admitted only gradu- forthose around me my degree theU.S., Caribbean, SouthAf- secretary of theIsraeliteboard. ingthe African-American Jewish ates from thehandful of Ameri- of sincerityofsaying…‘Iama rica,Ugandaand . Just as “Overthe yearsithas been a community. canseminariesthatordained Jew.’” hiscousinbymarriage, Barack teeth-grinding situation.” “He’sdeeplyreligious and Reform,Conservative, Orthodox “WhatIwantedtodowas ar- Obama, has used hisplatformas Funnye enteredthe Chicago deeply devotedtoJudaism and andReconstructionist leaders. rest anyfears youhave, because commanderinchief to address Jewish sceneinthe mid-1980s, also deeply devotedtocreating Funnye hadearnedhis smicha, Ihavenofears.” Antscanteachusabouttakingcareofeachother We have ants.Wehave storyseemedtounravel F aith Directory kept them at bayinsidethe andIamnot sure it was house, butoutside,thatis thebestthingtodo. Butit You’re invited to attend one of our many places of worship adifferentmatter. Asingle wassomething. When one dropped crumbonthe pa- of ourchurchmembers tioand thenextmorninga bill returned from Kenyaand stream of ants appear,hun- tinsley made an appeal forpeople dredsoftheminaneatly sheknows whoare starv- African Methodist ChristianScience Lutheran organizedoperation to dis- COLUMNIST ing, Isentacheck.When EbenezerAME Church FirstChurch of Christ, Scientist Silverdale Lutheran, ELCA mantle thediscarded food Ivisited Tillie Bergin at Rev. David MalcomJr. 4th&Warren, Bremerton 11701RidgepointDrive NW andstore it in bitsand bites live on less than $2.50per MissionArlington and 902ParkAvenue (360)373-4680 ServiceTimes:8:00am &10:00am forlater use. day. sawthe difference shewas Bible Study, Wed. 6pm Sun. Svc, SS,Child Care 10am 360-692-9263 SundayService 8am&11am Wed. Meeting, ChildCare7pm www.silverdalelutheran.org Howdothey do this? Do Ihavetoadmit this making amongthe poor in SundaySchool9:45am ReadingRoom, Mon11-2 thewandering scout-ants convicts andalarmsme. theinner city,Isentagift. (360)373-1063 have cellphones?When Ineedtobemore like the It’s notmuch. But, forme NonDenominational Church of Christ they make adiscovery do little critters that invade it is astart.Ifall of us gave Anglican they place acallbackto my patio.Ineedtosound more generouslywecould FaithFellowship Church home base andsay,“Send thealarm,sendout the make adifference,likethe CentralKitsapChurchofChrist 6251NWNewberryHill Rd,Silverdale St.CharlesAnglicanChurch 11898Central Valley Road,Poulsbo SundayMorning Worship10:00am thetroops. We have food!” signal,marshal others ant. 19351 8thAvenue NE,#205, Poulsbo SundayWorship 10:45am AContemporaryNon Denom Service Whoorganizes theopera- andjointhem in distrib- Proverbs says,“Go Saturday CasualService 5pm SundayBible Classes9:30am www.faithfellowshipchurch.net SundayTraditional 8:30am 360-692-4900 •www.ckcoc.org (360)692-6555 tion?Who tellsthese work- utingfoodand resources to theant …considerits SundayContemporary10:30am er ants to answer thecall, to those whoneedit. But ways andbewise! It has 360-779-3524 Church of Christ andwho plotsthe shortest howdowedothis? Howdo no commander, no over- stcharlesanglican.org 2585 Carr Lane SE,PortOrchard Presbyterian andleast obstructed route we know that ourgifts get seer or ruler, yetitstores SundayWorship 10:30am St.Erasmus Anglican Church SundayBible Classes9:30am to thetreasure? to thepeopleand places itsprovisionsinsummer MeetsatBurley Community 360-876-2604 •www.pococ.org CentralKitsapPresbyterian If they were humans, wherethey areneeded? andgathers itsfoodat Hall. 1485 Burley AveSE, 9300 Nels Nelson Rd NW,Bremerton thesearchers whofound Thereissomuchgraft and harvest.”(Prov.6:6-8). Burley;Traditional Worship: SundayWorship Service: 10am Sunday10am.253-265-8891 Episcopal EducationClasses areavailable thefoodsupplywould im- corruption in theworld John theforerunner,de- gigharboranglican.com (360)692-5000 -www.ckpc.org mediatelystake aclaim, that charitable giftsare of- scribing true repentance laytitle to it andhorde tenroutedintothe pockets andfaith,said, “Anyone St.Antony’sEpiscopal Church Baptist 10239Old Frontier Rd., Silverdale UnitarianUniversalist it so that they couldbe of thegreedy. whohas twoshirts should SundayServices: 8:00am &10:00am wealthier than allthe oth- Iguess thebestthing sharewiththe onewho has Church School &Nursery Kitsap Unitarian-Universalist er ants.They wouldlet the is to be alerttoopportu- none,and anyone whohas Mt.Zion Missionary (360)698-0555 •saintantonys.org To know Christ &tomakeHim known. Fellowship weaker ants in thecolony nities.Whenabeggarap- food should do thesame.” Pastor Richmond Johnson 4418 PerryAvenue,Bremerton starve. And, they would proachedmeonaparking (Luke3:11) 1906 13th Street, Bremerton Lutheran AWelcomingCongregation SundayServices10:30am probablyspend most of lotindowntownDallas, I WorshipService:11:00am,SS9:30am Wed. Bible Study: 6:00pm Children’s ReligiousEducation10:30am theirtimein“antcourt” took him across thestreet Bill Tinsley is former associate mountzionbremerton.org Elim LutheranChurch,ELCA, CORE (360)377-4724•www.kuuf.org defendingthe righttotheir to Subwayand bought him executivefor the Baptist General (360)377-9169 5911 East Hillcrest Drive@ Woods Road,PortOrchard possessions.“Antlawyers” asandwich. Unfortunate- Convention of Texas. Email him SundayWorship 10 am UnitedMethodist wouldprobably claimthe ly,asIlistenedtohim, his at [email protected]. Bible Church AdultForum 9am; Sunday greatest portionofthe School 10 am - 360-871-0602 www.elimlutheranpo.net BremertonUMC wealth. Lincoln Avenue Bible Church (LABC) 1150 Marine Drive,Bremerton Worship10:30am-Childcare provided Whycan’t we learn “LiveGrace,Speak Truth, Emmanuel LutheranChurch (AALC) Extend Mercy” AdultSunday School 9:00am from theselittlecrea- TRINITY Building on theFoundation Children’s SundaySchool10:30am 1250 LincolnAve,Bremerton tures? Everyyearabillion of God’sWord (360)373-3510•bremertonumc.org (360)373-5075 •labchurch.org SundayWorship 10am people on theearth die SundayService:10:30am Vacation Bible School Aug10-14 of starvation. Everyday BIBLE FELLOWSHIP Please Join Us,All AreWelcome! 2509PerryAvenue,Bremerton Brownsville UMC (360)373-1910•elcbremerton.org Come see our New 25,000 children,world Community Garden Grow wide,whose stomachs are Join us for ChristianDiscofChrist FirstLutheranCommunity 8811 Illahee Rd NE., Bremerton bloatedand empty, draw Sunday Services Church,ELCA Next to BrownsvilleGrade School 2483 Mitchell Road S.E.PortOrchard Worship&SundaySchool10:30am theirlastbreath. They FirstChristian Church AdultStudy 7:00pm dieinremote villages far 10:30am 811Veneta Ave, Bremerton SundayWorship -9:00am &10:30am SundaySchoolduring the Rev. Nancy Yount Worship•10:30 am Call 360-692-8266 from public view.Over meeting at Childcare•SundayClasses 9:00am service•360-876-3901, half theworld’s popula- 360.373.2444 •bremertondisciples.org www.firstlutheranpo.com tion,three billionpeople, Crosspoint Academy Port Orchard UMC OurSavioursLutheran 725KitsapStPortOrchard,WA98366 4012 Chico WayNW. ChristianReformed Worship&Sunday School @9:30am 1015 Veneta Bremerton Childcareavailableduring worship BREMERTON Bremerton, WA 98312 Pastor Paul Meeker Adultsmall groupshappening AnchorofHope Christian Summer WorshipSchedule “The churchdowntown’’ CHURCH OF CHRIST (360) 698-7382 ReformedChurch May31-September 6 360-876-3975 •portorchardumc.org 10625 Ridgetop Blvd Silverdale 500 Pleasant Dr., Bremerton OneService at 9:30am SundayWorship 10am (360)479-6374 Silverdale UMC Sunday Bible Study Watch the Institute anchorofhopechurch.org (Corner of Ridgetop & 9:30am Allare welcome! www.oslcbremerton.org SilverdaleWay) SundayWorship 9:30 &11:30 Worship 10:30am of Biblical Defense Poulsbo FirstLutheranChurch (ELCA) Fellowship &Brunch followingeach Worship 5:00pm SundayWorship 8:00,9:15, 10:30am Children’s Church during television show. Pastor Nursery care provided allmorning WorshipService Bible Study Phil Fernandes 189204th AveNE, Poulsbo ASLinterpreter @9:30Service Wednesday 7:00pm Saturdays at 6pm on BKAT. 360-779-2622 •poulsbofirstlutheran.org (360)692-9813•silverdale-umc.org bremertonchurchofchrist.org For Advertising Information Contact: Formore information or if youhave aBIBLE question 377-5622 or 471-6197 BOLDLYTEACHING GOD’S TRUTH! Mandi Teasley: 360.792.3339 •[email protected]