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Obama's interfaith relations -- literally

Posted by Michael Paulson September 4, 2008 11:23 AM

His dad was raised a Muslim. He is a Christian. And now, it turns out, Barack Obama's wife's cousin is a rabbi. The Forward, a Jewish weekly, reports:

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"Michelle Obama, wife of the Democratic presidential nominee, and Rabbi Capers Funnye, spiritual leader of a mostly black synagogue on Chicago’s South Side, are first cousins once removed. Funnye’s mother, Verdelle Robinson Funnye (born Verdelle Robinson) and Michelle Obama’s paternal grandfather, Frasier Robinson Jr., were brother and sister. Funnye (pronounced fuh-NAY) is chief rabbi at the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in southwest Chicago. 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, sometimes known as black Hebrews or Israelites. He has often urged the larger Jewish community to be more accepting of Jews who are not white. Funnye’s famous relative gives an unexpected twist to the much-analyzed relationship between Barack Obama and Jews in this presidential campaign. On the one hand, Jewish political organizers, voters and donors played an essential role in Obama’s rise to power in Chicago, including some of the city’s wealthiest and most prominent families. But the Illinois senator has struggled to overcome suspicions in some parts of the Jewish community, including skepticism about his stance on Israel and discredited but persistent rumors that he is secretly a Muslim."

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9 comments so far...
  1. Mixed faith familly are not so bad. You get used to it.
    So what if mother in law goes to the wrong church.

    Posted by Wainwright Peregrine September 4, 08 01:03 PM
  1. SO WHAT HAS THIS TO DO WITH BARACK OBAMA?

    Posted by Edmund S Balboni September 4, 08 01:10 PM
  1. Who in their right mind cares? Keep religion out of politics!!!!!!

    Posted by Red September 4, 08 02:48 PM
  1. Is it important to the election process? How convenient; now there is not only a Jewish relative (in-law) but a Rabbi to boot! My issue with Sen. Obama is how a graduate of Harvard Law School and a converted 'Christian' (albeit Rev Wright's 'liberation theology' version) could be taken in with the loud rhetoric and style of Rev. Wright. I see too much anger there - did it rub off on Sen. Obama in some way? Are his Christian beliefs based on the Bible or on Rev. Wright's version of Christianity? I really don't think that a candidate's religious preference should be part of this election process, unless it is detrimental to one's swearing to "preserve, protect and defend" the constitutuion of the US.

    Posted by Brenda Breen September 4, 08 03:56 PM
  1. Imagine that, a President who may be tolerant of ALL religions? NO WAY!

    Posted by krystyn September 4, 08 04:03 PM
  1. I do not want to help the globe make any more money... last post.

    Posted by Dave September 4, 08 04:06 PM
  1. Obama's “come together” message is not kumbaya non-sense.

    Churches are really successful in addressing unmet needs to "belong to something greater than ourselves." It isn't pray, it isn't faith....it's showing up once a week with like minded people and "sharing the feeling" of togetherness. There's even a dose effect. Those who do church more than once a week have even better health than the once a week people.

    Science validates the "love one another", "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" message. It's not just idealism--it's hard science. That kind of altruism and other-directed behavior is physically good for you...not just morally good for you.

    Check it out at http://www.scienceofloneliness.com.

    Posted by Kit Falcione September 4, 08 07:06 PM
  1. I wonder how many of us, remembers what realigion our parentes thought us
    when we were 2 or 3 yrs old. I believe that is the time Boroc,s father left for
    his country, and we all know that he saw him a few times in his life, and weather
    he was a muslim or a priest or a rabbi, that does it have to do with Oboma?
    If you are worried about religion in the white house, Worry about the possibility
    of John McCain, and Sarah Pelin, he thinks life begins at the MOMENT of
    conception, and she thinks we came from Adam and Eve, and SHE would like
    to make all the WOMEN choices for us. and make that a LAW. Any woman,
    girl should be forced to carry a child that they are not prepared for, or do not
    want to . If Sarah did not use any methods to control birth, she probably would
    have dozens of kids. SO what is the difference, kill it before it has a chance
    to get my egg or after it hits my egg. To think we are in 2008 and we are still
    asking a potential presidnet of the UNITED STATES, if we think that there is
    EVIL, or when does life begin? When I was listening to these questions, I felt
    Oboma answered them honestly, like giving his opinion and at the same time
    saying , which one of us really knows when life begins? Are we even qualified
    to say that? by saying this was above his pay grade, Now Sarah thinks
    that that is one of the reasons he is not qualified, I say one, because she
    feelsthat she knokws more than him. She probably does, when it comes
    to hunting, shootin her mouth off as she did at her convention, if her only
    "big quality is to give a speak" than we are big in trouble, I wonder how many of
    us would get a job by just talking bad about the other people that were
    applying for a job? Yes she should of say I can do better here, because>>>
    I can do better there because>>> I heard nothing execpt attacts, and lies. and
    how tuff she is. Sorry Sarah, I am a white, single mom, but I would never vote
    for you, not even for a small job, "shame on you, bring you infant to the stage to
    endure all that noise for so long, you should of had the decency to leave such
    a small child a home with someone who you trusted to take care of, I am sure
    you have , sine you have so many kids and hold a BIG JOB office. Yes, we all
    work and take care of babies, but we do not have such BIG JOBS, with so much
    responsability, demanding so much of our time, and Yes, Presidents have babies
    and it can be a woman or a man who is not the PRIMARY caregiver to their
    children, there is a difference, but you say that you are , ONE HAND ON THE
    \BREAT, THE OTHER ON THE PHONE? is that how you manage to do both?

    You may want to short change your kids, but dont short change mine, and I pray
    that you stay in Alaska , where you can do the least damage.

    Posted by Odete September 4, 08 07:45 PM
  1. Eyes to see but they see not. May God have mercy on America.

    Posted by Betty Rigsbee November 10, 08 04:59 AM
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Michael Paulson covers religion for The Boston Globe. He shared in the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, won the Mike Berger, Templeton and Supple awards in 2008, and is a four-time winner of the Wilbur Award.
E-mail mpaulson@globe.com.

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