WASHINGTON POST
With new chief rabbi, black Hebrew-Israelites make bid to enter the Jewish mainstream
by Sam Kestenbaum
October 30, 2015

The Israelites walked slowly, chanting in Hebrew and wrapped in loose white robes. A reverential silence spread across the crowd as one figure emerged above the rest. Hundreds had gathered to witness a sacred moment. “I came so that my children’s children would remember this day,” said one Israelite. “Hallelujah,” called another. It was a scene out of the Torah: after years of uncertainty a new leader [Rabbi Capers C. Funnye Jr.] was being installed….They were gathered not on a craggy mountain overlooking the valleys of the Holy Land, but deep in the Southside of Chicago….A charismatic cleric from St. Kitts, Matthew taught that African Americans had ancient connections with the biblical Israelites and that they should leave Christianity and return to Judaism. READ MORE