20 | OCTOBER 6 • 2022 

D

avid and Donna Abraham and 
their son Mark were nominated 
as volunteers of the week by the 
Windsor Jewish Federation for their years 
of passionate and active dedication to the 
Jewish community. 
David is a past president, past funeral 
director and a current member of the 
board of directors of Congregation Shaar 
Hashomayim in Windsor, Ontario. He also 
sits on the board of directors of the Windsor 
Jewish Community Endowment Fund. 
“I’m a strong supporter of the religion 
and, while there’s a lack of children in the 
community at the moment, I strive to keep 
the Jewish community here strong,
” David 
said. “My goal is to have a place for those 
new to the Jewish community to join or get 

involved with for the next 15 to 20 years 
and beyond.
”
The Abraham family also has strong ties 
with the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization 
(BBYO).
“My dad was the Great Lakes district 
president for BBYO’s Michigan region,
” 
said Mark, who was president of his BBYO 
chapter.
Donna was also involved with BBYO, 
as president of her chapter when she was 
active and as an adviser of Echad BBG. 
Now she sits on the cabinet for UJA (United 
Jewish Appeal) and is also on the board of 
directors at the congregation. 
“We’ve always been active in the 
Jewish community for our children and 
grandchildren to be able to have that Jewish 
presence in their life,
” Donna said. “Some 
of the Jewish population has left and gone 
to Toronto, and we would like to have more 
Jewish culture here and keep the spirit alive. 
It’s part of our heritage and we don’t want to 
lose that.
”
David and Donna also have a daughter, 
Shana, who lives in Toronto with her 
husband, Thierry, and their daughter Axelle. 
Shana is also an out-of-town member at 
Shaar Hashomayim who comes in for the 
High Holidays and Passover. 
Mark is following is his father’s footsteps.
“I am the immediate past president 
of the Windsor Jewish Federation and 
also sit on the board of directors at Shaar 
Hashomayim,
” he said. “I was the president 
during COVID. When COVID hit, the 
most stressful part of my job then was 
trying to keep the 70-unit seniors’ building 
COVID-free and everybody alive.
”
Mark says he has plans for the Jewish 
community through his role on the 
congregation board. “I have three goals: 
bring BBYO back to Windsor, have post-
Hebrew education after grade school and to 

get a nondenominational Jewish cemetery.
”
Mark says his inspiration to be active 
in the Jewish community comes from his 
family. His father David is a first-generation 
Canadian son of Holocaust survivors. 
“My grandparents went through so much 
so that we could have this life, and I want to 
continue that for generations,
” Mark said. 
“I want there to be something here when 
more Jewish people come to Windsor, and 
I would like my kids to have the option to 
raise a Jewish family here.
”
The Abraham family hopes to continue 
building relationships and is ready to 
get involved with other organizations 
throughout the Metro Detroit Jewish 
community.
“COVID was terrible because we would 
go to Detroit once a week. We shopped at 
the Grove to get all our kosher meats,
” Mark 
said. “Windsor is part of the Metro Detroit 
Jewish community; we just happen to be on 
this side of the border.
” 

For information about Windsor Jewish Federation 

and its upcoming events, visit www.jewishwindsor.

org. If you would like to nominate someone to be 

the next volunteer of the week, send a nomination 

with a short paragraph telling us why to rsweet@

thejewishnews.com.

Meet the Abraham family of Windsor.

The Family that 
Keeps Giving

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

OUR COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK

Mark Abraham volunteers at Congregation 
Shaar Hashomayim’s Man’s Lunch with Brian 
Schwab, owner of the Windsor Spitfires 
Hockey Team.

Elaine Burstyn (Mark’s wife), Kelly-Lynn 
Abraham and Donna Abraham at the JNF 
Windsor Negev Dinner 

David Abraham, Maxwell Abraham, 
Lilah Abraham, Donna Abraham, 
Mark Abraham, Sarina Abraham and 
Kelly-Lynn Abraham.

