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Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation

African-American JudaismAfrican-American history in ChicagoAfrican American–Jewish relationsBlack Hebrew IsraelitesInternational Israelite Board of Rabbis
Jewish organizations established in 1918Synagogues in Chicago

Beth Shalom, formally Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, is a Black Hebrew Israelite synagogue in Chicago, Illinois. The congregation leader is Rabbi Capers Funnye. Assistant rabbis are Avraham Ben Israel and Joshua V. Salter. Beth Shalom is affiliated with the International Israelite Board of Rabbis.The congregation, which has about 200 members, is mostly African American. The congregation was started by Rabbi Horace Hasan from Bombay, India, in 1918 as the Ethiopian Hebrew Settlement Workers Association, and was influenced by Wentworth Arthur Matthew's Commandment Keepers.Along with African-Americans, members include Hispanics and whites who were born Jews, as well as former Christians and Muslims. As is traditional with Judaism, they do not seek converts, and members must study Judaism for a year before undergoing a traditional conversion requiring men to be ritually circumcised and women to undergo ritual immersion in a mikvah.The congregation is "somewhere between Conservative and Modern Orthodox" with distinctive African-American influences; while men and women sit separately as in Orthodox synagogues, a choir sings spirituals to the beat of a drum. It follows traditional Jewish liturgy and laws, including Sabbath and "a modified version of kosher dietary laws."The congregation is currently housed in a former synagogue purchased from the Lawn Manor Hebrew Congregation of Ashkenazi Lithuanian Jews on South Kedzie Avenue in the Marquette Park neighborhood, on Chicago's South Side.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation
South Kedzie Avenue, Chicago Chicago Lawn

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N 41.7733333 ° E -87.7025 °
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Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation

South Kedzie Avenue 6601
60629 Chicago, Chicago Lawn
Illinois, United States
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bethshalombz.org

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Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture

The Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture (Lithuanian: Balzeko lietuvių kultūros muziejus) is located at 6500 S. Pulaski Rd. in Chicago's West Lawn neighborhood, not far from Chicago Midway International Airport. Founded in 1966, the Balzekas Museum is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of Lithuanian culture and is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the subjects of Lithuania, the Lithuanian language, history, culture and politics, and to the Lithuanian-American experience. The museum hosts events, programs, and workshops, such as traditional Lithuanian Užgavėnės (Mardi-Gras) mask making, vėlykaičiai or margučiai Easter egg decorating, and straw Christmas ornament making. The museum is a popular destination for tourists and schools, seeking to learn about Lithuanian history, culture, and immigration. Promoting the study and appreciation of America's diverse ethnic cultural heritage and seeking to foster greater understanding among all people, the museum works cooperatively with numerous ethnic groups; cultural, arts and educational organizations; museums; fraternal orders; religious entities; and governmental institutions. The Balzekas Museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It was founded by Lithuanian-American businessman Stanley Balzekas, Jr., who continues to serve as the president of the museum. Chicago's Lithuanian community has more Lithuanians and people of Lithuanian descent than anywhere in the world outside of Lithuania itself. The museum's bulletin, called the Lithuanian Museum Review, is published quarterly.