"Community Is Everything"
By Jill Cousins
F or Rabbi Yisrael Abisror, giving back to his community has always been a priority and something that has been ingrained in him since he was a young boy.
His community-centered childhood helped motivate Yisrael – an Orlando resident – to co-found Jewish Academies of North America (JANA), an organization that invests in Jewish day schools such as Jewish Academy of Orlando (JAO)
Growing up in a culturally diverse Orthodox home, first in New Jersey and then in Miami, Yisrael’s parents showed him by example what it means to open your home to others and do whatever you can to help those in need.
In fact, Yisrael’s parents – Rabbi Henry Abisror and his wife Ella Esther – did such a good job of welcoming others into their home, some guests got a little too comfortable.
A Seat At The Table
Rabbi Yisrael Abisror of Orlando is the cofounder of Jewish Academies of North America (JANA), an organization that invests in Jewish day schools such as Jewish Academy of Orlando (JAO).
“I grew up in a household where community was everything,” recalls Yisrael, the youngest of seven children. “My parents constantly had an open home. We had guests from all around the world – always. People would eat Shabbat dinners with us on Friday nights; they were sleeping over. My parents really cared for the community.
“I remember one Friday night, when I was a little kid, someone was sitting in my seat at the table, and I said, ‘You’re in my seat!’ He said, ‘It’s my seat!’ I looked at the guy and said, ‘What are you talking about? I live here!’ It was an interesting exchange,” says Yisrael.
Now, as a young adult, the 29-year-old Yisrael works tirelessly to give back to Central Florida’s Jewish community in a variety of ways. That includes welcoming other young adults into the home he shares with wife Tamar and their two young children.
“Since we moved to Orlando, we’ve probably hosted thousands of people at Friday night Shabbat dinners,” says Yisrael, “and I think last year from September to March, we had more than 700 people – just for Friday night dessert.”
Yisrael and his wife moved to Orlando as newlyweds in 2018, when he took a position as director of Yehudi Orlando, part of a Jewish outreach organization in Florida that helps college students and young adults get more connected to their Judaism.
Cultivating Jewish Ties
“Orlando needs to see a vision for building out the
future of the Jewish community. We need to take
charge of that, and someone needs to step up
and do it, because we need to get it done.”
At the University of Central Florida, Yehudi works alongside Central Florida Hillel to bring local college students and young professionals together in a way that connects them to their Jewish identity through various programs, events, and fellowships trips. For more than four years, Yisrael was also an adjunct professor of Jewish philosophy at UCF. He currently runs his own consulting firm.
As for his work with Jewish Academies of North America, Yisrael is pleased to help Jewish Academy of Orlando flourish. JANA has pledged to invest more than a half-million dollars into the school over the course of three years and also assisted with the recruiting of the new head of school, Chana Ben-Abraham.
“With a new head of school, JAO has been growing tremendously,” says Yisrael. “Without a thriving Jewish day school, there is no future for any community, because if you miss a generation, you’re done.”
It was through consulting work that Yisrael also got involved with an organization called Daily Giving, which enables Jews to easily perform the mitzvah of tzedakah by donating one dollar a day to help Jewish charities and nonprofits. Yisrael first worked with Daily Giving as a consultant and then became vice president shortly afterward.
Rabbi Yisrael Abisror, his wife Tamar, and their children Judah and Aliyah
Yisrael continues to strive every day to help Orlando’s Jewish community in any way possible. His parents, who still live in Miami, are most certainly proud.
“Orlando is a beautiful community,” says Yisrael. “But Orlando needs to see the next generation step up. It needs to see unity. It needs to see a vision for building out the future of the Jewish community. We need to take charge of that, and someone needs to step up and do it, because we need to get it done.”
This story was originally published in print in Spring 2024.