Obama's Jewish relative

(Does this make Obama an honorary Elder of Zion? That's a "she'ilta"* for Snoopythegoon to mull over...)

Marty Peretz, from The New Republic, is a truculent Obama supporter. He is also the most outspoken, unabashed admirer of Israel among the Center-Left that I'm familiar with.

He posted on his blog today, with some excitement, about the fact that Michelle Obama's cousin (once removed) is a certain Rabbi Capers Funnye.

"He is the chief rabbi of the Beth Shalom B'nei Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in southwest Chicago and "serves on on the Chicago Board of Rabbis."


An article in Haaretz fills out the details:

"He is well-known in Jewish circles for acting as a bridge between mainstream Jewry and the much smaller, and largely separate, world of black Jewish congregations... Funnye's famous relative gives an unexpected twist to the much-analyzed relationship between Barack Obama and Jews in this presidential campaign."

which probably accounts for Peretz's bubbling exuberance at this news.

Since the rabbi is a convert, he reminded me of another African-American convert from Chicago, a stand-up comic and a gifted author, Aaron Freeman.

Here is Aaron the convert, in front of an Israeli audience: "Rabbi, Jew me!"

And here he is in conversation with RABBI DOUG.

And what do you know, here is Aaron with Michelle's cousin himself.

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* A Talmudic query