In this article, which appeared in JTA, Matt Nosanchuk addresses police policies and NYJA’s position on legislation to reform police through practices, policies, and training to stop systemic racism.
When Rabbi Capers Funnye attends a synagogue that’s not his own, he must brace himself for the reaction that he knows will follow after he walks through the door.
Even though he comes in wearing a kippah and holding a prayer shawl, Funnye knows that if a security guard or police officer is there, he’ll probably face extensive questioning because he’s African-American.
“They need to do whatever they’re most comfortable with,” said Funnye, the rabbi at Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Chicago, regarding security practices at other synagogues. But, he added, “If I go to a synagogue where I’m not a guest speaker and they don’t have my picture and have it advertised, I would be very uncomfortable going into a synagogue with armed policemen…”