YOU SHOULD KNOW ...

Issa Kabeer
Photo courtesy of Issa Kabeer
HEATHER M. ROSS | STAFF WRITER
F or some people, learning is a lifestyle. With five degrees and
more to come, Issa Kabeer is one of those people.

Kabeer, 34, is an actor, university student and a teacher. He
has a bachelor’s degree in comparative religion, a master’s in interna-
tional peace and conflict resolution, a master’s in comparative reli-
gion, a master’s in divinity and a doctorate of ministry. He is enrolled
now at Temple University, possibly for social work.

“My whole life I’ve been very interested in making the world a bet-
ter place than it was when I came in. I need to better myself and, once
I do that, I can help better things around me,” Kabeer said, explaining
why he continues to pursue education.

Education didn’t necessarily come
easily to Kabeer; as a first-generation
college student, there were challenges.

“I had no idea what I was doing
when I came in. College is completely
different from high school. In high
school, they kinda hold your hand, but
in college, you have to decide every-
thing on your own,” Kabeer said.

Kabeer tells other young students
to make sure they do internships, join
organizations and get a taste of the
careers they’re considering,
“Connect with your adviser, and
take advantage of the tutoring ser-
vices,” he said. “Don’t just go where
people tell you; take an ideogram test,
Myers-Briggs, see what you have the
aptitude for.”
He stressed that it’s important to
consciously look after your mental
health and be aware of your college’s
mental health services. Self-expression
is critical and, for Kabeer, that meant
acting. “Everyone needs to be able to
express themselves. If people just focus
on a career 100% they are unable to
really do self-care. Your passion is
your motivator, the energy for your
soul to keep moving and going. That’s
my motivator — it pushes me and
makes me feel alive,” Kabeer said.

After acting in 13 films, shorts,
commercials and video games and
working as a producer on 10 other
projects, Kabeer has certainly gotten
his name out, but he said his most
meaningful role was as a police officer
in “The After Math,” a short produced
in 2017.

“I got to learn about sign language,
and I had a wife in the role who was
deaf. I had to learn enough sign lan-
guage to speak my lines. It had an
intense message about modern affairs
[and] certain forms of violence and
brutality,” Kabeer said, wearing his
blue button-up shirt from the film.

Kabeer credits his interest in acting
in part to his mother, who performed
in several stage plays when she was a
child. He finds that his style of acting
gives him a unique kind of empathetic
experience in becoming another person.

“One thing I’m pretty good at doing
is I’m a good character actor. I wish I
got more roles where I could change
my accents. I imagine what this char-
acter would do. Who is this character?
Give them a backstory. I become that
person. People are complex. Everyone
has a story,” he said.

When not acting, Kabeer shares his
passion for education with his students
at his former school, TECH Freire
Charter School in Philadelphia, where
he teaches algebra and special educa-
tion. “Acting is such a great support —
teaching is kind of a performance.

Teaching and acting have a perfor-
mance element,” Kabeer said.

Kabeer explained what he enjoys
most about teaching: “When the stu-
dent needs support in order to succeed,
[when] I’m able to help them get what
they need and advocate for them. Every
time we work together as a team, we
succeed.” While academics and career choices
are important, college is about more
than that, Kabeer said.

At first, he struggled to find and
connect with other young Jews. Then
he joined Tribe 12, an organization
that helps Jews in their 20s and 30s get
involved with the Jewish community in
Philadelphia and form lifelong friend-
ships and connections.

“I love being with elders, too. I get a
lot of wisdom from them, but there’s
a great benefit of being around peo-
ple closer to your age. You have a lot
in common, including the identity of
being Jewish,” Kabeer said.

Kabeer was bar mitzvahed at Temple
Sinai in Dresher two years ago after
becoming more involved with the local
Jewish community. During the pan-
demic, he began attending virtual ser-
vices at Raim Ahuvim in Philadelphia.

Since joining Tribe 12, he has found
himself engaged in multiple retreats
and connected with study partners.

So, what does the future hold?
“I’m going to keep growing. I’ve been
in school, I don’t leave. I’m seeing other
things in the future,” Kabeer said. “[It]
could be law school, ambassadorship,
health care. But ultimately, whatever
I’m doing, it’s going to be supporting
humanity.” JE
hross@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
13