Passover, the Exodus Story and Black Jews
- play show:
Date: 2 April 2009
The Black Rabbi From Chicago
As a young man in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Capers C. Funnye Jr. was encouraged to become a pastor. Instead, he went to rabbinical school. Now one of about 27 black rabbis in the United States, he heads an Ethiopian Hebrew synagogue on the Southwest Side of Chicago. Rabbi Funnye joins us this Passover to share his struggle for acceptance and explain why blacks and Jews have so much in common.
Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, Rabbi of Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation
DC's Freedom Seder
Begins at 22 min 29 sec
Last weekend, more than 300 people gathered at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, DC for a “Freedom Seder”: an interfaith celebration of hope, liberation and care for the earth. Our own Maureen Fiedler was there and captured this audio snapshot...in between bites of matzos and haroset.
Oy, the Miracles of Passover Coke
Begins at 31 min 32 sec
Every spring before Passover, Coca-Cola plants in Chicago, New York, Atlanta and other cities whip up a tiny batch of soda that's Kosher for Passover. The run lasts about two weeks and has been known to sell out in less than 24 hours. But why is this Coke different from all other Cokes? A few Passovers ago, Laura Kwerel went down to West Rogers Park, in Chicago, to find out.
To find your own bottle of Passover Coke, look for two liter bottles with a yellow cap (pictured, left). L'Chaim! More tips...
Produced by Laura Kwerel
God Uses a Wheelchair
Begins at 36 min 57 sec
In her ground-breaking book The Disabled God, theologian Nancy Eiesland envisioned God getting around in the kind of lung-powered wheelchairs used by quadriplegics. Eiesland (pictured) died last month at age 44, from causes unrelated to the disabling bone condition she had lived with since birth. Mike Leard learns more about this pioneer of the "liberation theology of disability."
Debbie Creamer, author of Disability and Christian Theology: Embodied Limits and Constructive Possibilities
StoryCorps: Kahlil Amustafa on Gratitude
Begins at 48 min 41 sec
Our latest selection from the StoryCorps oral history project features artist and poet Kahlil Almustafa (pictured, left). He shares memories of his mother, who died from HIV/AIDS in 1994.
Courtesy of StoryCorps, and archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress
This Week's Interfaith Calendar
April 5- Palm Sunday (Christian)
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's jubilant arrival in Jerusalem in the days before his crucifixion. As described in the Gospels, the crowds greeted him by waving palm branches, a symbol of victory in pre-Christian times. Many modern Christian churches mark the holiday by giving worshippers palm leaves tied to crosses.
April 7 - Mahavira Jayanti (Jain)
Today, Jains celebrate the birth of Mahavira, the 24th and final tirthankara, or enlightened spiritual guide of their faith. Mahavira promoted the five great vows of Jainism: non-violence, truth, avoidance of stealing, chastity, and detachment from possessions.
April 8 - Passover (Jewish)
This eight-day holiday commemorates the liberation of the ancient Israelites from Egypt, after 210 years of enslavement. Jews enjoy a special meal called a seder on the first two nights of the festival, which includes four cups of wine, matzo, horseradish, and other symbolic snacks.
