Rapper Kodak Black donates $1,000 to Orthodox synagogue from prison

JTA — Rapper Kodak Black donated $1,000 to a south Florida Chabad synagogue while serving a four-year prison sentence.

The donation, made last week, was his second gift in as many years to the Downtown Jewish Center Chabad of Fort Lauderdale, according to Rabbi Schneur Kaplan. The rapper, known for the hit singles “Zeze”and “Roll in Peace,” is connected to the synagogue through his lawyer, Brad Cohen, who is a member there.

“I understand that he is a philanthropic individual, and his attorney shared with him things that we are doing, so he wanted to contribute to it,” Kaplan told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “It’s a beautiful thing to see that we received support from people even outside of the Jewish community who appreciate the work that we’re doing.”

Kodak Black was sentenced to nearly four years in prison last month for lying on background check forms for two gun purchases. The contribution to Chabad was part of $8,000 in total donations made by the rapper, who also donated to a south Florida preschool and to a child who is blind, according to the celebrity gossip site TMZ.

Kaplan said the donation to Chabad will go toward the construction of its new building. Kaplan says he hopes to be in touch with Kodak Black in the future.