JCUA mourns the passing of Chief Rabbi Capers Funnye Jr., spiritual leader of Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, Chief Rabbi of International Israelite Board of Rabbis, past president of JCUA’s Board of Directors, and one of the great Jewish leaders in Chicago’s history. He passed away on November 2, 2026 at the age of 74.

Rabbi Funnye served for more than 40 years at Beth Shalom, the oldest congregation in the Chicago area serving the Israelite community. He called the congregation, whose members include Jews from around the world, a “composite of what someday the entire Jewish world will look like.” He then went to work pushing the rest of the Jewish community to catch up.

In 1997, Rabbi Funnye became the first Black member of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, and the first Israelite rabbi to join it. Earlier generations of Black Jewish leaders had been turned away. “I made it my mission to tear down the walls that kept us out,” he said.

Rabbi Funnye first joined the JCUA staff in the early 1990s as our director of administration, joined the board in 1995, led the public policy committee, and served as board president from 2016 to 2018. Rabbi Funnye helped JCUA become more connected with Black Jews across the region and helped inspire the founding of the Kol Or Jews of Color Caucus, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year.

As board president, Rabbi Funnye worked with JCUA and our community partners to bring a Level 1 adult trauma center back to the South Side, at the University of Chicago. It was the victory he said he was proudest of. In 2019, JCUA honored Rabbi Funnye with the Rabbi Robert J. Marx Award for Social Justice.

Jane Ramsey, JCUA’s former Executive Director, said: “Rabbi Funnye embraced and promoted the prophetic values and mission of JCUA. He reached out to members of other faiths, building bridges between our Jewish community, Muslims, Christians and others. He was a force for good, an advocate for justice and compassion, and a visionary who saw the joy and potential for our diverse Jewish community.”

Jackie Baldwin, JCUA Director of Antiracism & Equity and a member of Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken, said: “Whether it was knocking down walls of division, opening doors of opportunity, widening gates of entry for the Israelite community, or building bridges of interfaith connection. Rabbi Funnye was relentless in uplifting the value of B’tzelem Elohim. As a lifelong BSBZ member I often heard him say it’s easy to treat all people with respect if we remind ourselves ‘when I see you, I see G-d.’ May we continue to uplift his unwavering commitment to solidarity by remembering his reminder to ‘keep a spirit of harmony, peace, and love.'”

Judy Levey, former JCUA Executive Director, said: “Rabbi Funnye was a venerable and monumental leader within our JCUA community, and his rabbinic journey unfolded alongside the profound decades-long leadership he brought to our organization. I was continually inspired by his courageous and persistent determination to work together for justice. He modeled the sacred significance of showing up for each other time and again.”

Anna Rubin, JCUA Executive Director, said: “It has been an honor and a privilege to get to know and work with Rabbi Funnye over the past decade at JCUA. He built bridges — within and outside the Jewish community, across Chicago, the U.S., and the globe — unlike anyone else. His clarity of vision, his steadfastness of purpose, and his compassionate openness will be remembered for generations to come. His memory is already a blessing for all who knew and loved him.”

JCUA sends our love to Rabbi Funnye’s wife, Mary, their children and grandchildren, and the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken community.