About Robert Kasirer

Robert Kasirer serves as the Manager of the Kasirer Family Office, where he built a national real estate investment and management company with a diversified portfolio spanning 12 states. His leadership in this role reflects careful planning, thoughtful decision-making, and a commitment to stable long-term growth. He also serves as President of the Kasirer Family Foundation (KFF). He participates actively in philanthropy, with KFF focusing on supporting educational institutions and Jewish causes. Beneficiaries include the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, Harvard-Westlake School, Hillel at UCLA, Penn Hillel, Pressman Academy at Temple Beth Am, Camp Ramah of Ojai, Camp Ramah of the Berkshires, Birthright Israel, Chabad, and Chabad on Campus, among many others.

In 2022, he founded the Neshamah Project Inc., a US non-profit, along with the Neshamah Project RA, an Israeli non-profit, to develop the Neshamah Platform and Neshamah App, which together form Neshamah. Conceived as a wide-ranging digital space for Jewish life, Neshamah offers music, Jewish learning, prayer, podcasts, videos, and short interactive digital experiences in one accessible space that feels welcoming and personal. It serves both individuals and communities and provides white-labeled environments where organizations, synagogues, schools, camps, on-campus organizations, and content creators can display their own materials alongside Neshamah’s global library.

Family Roots and the Legacy of Survival

Robert Kasirer is the son of Holocaust survivors, and their story has always been a source of guidance and purpose. His mother was imprisoned in Auschwitz, and his father was sent to a forced labor camp. Most of their family was killed at Auschwitz. Both parents grew up in the small village of Bistra in the Carpathian Mountains, now part of Ukraine. His father trained as a shoemaker, and after his father's death at age 13, he began working for his uncle to help support the household.

Following liberation, Robert’s parents met, married, and moved to Bregenz, Austria, while waiting for their visa to the United States. He and his younger sister were born in Bregenz. Their youngest sister was born later in Los Angeles after the family arrived to begin a new life and rebuild their future.

Upon settling in Los Angeles in 1954, his parents found a Jewish community still in its early stages of development. With few Jewish students, schools, camps, or synagogues at the time, they committed themselves to strengthening Jewish life in the city. They helped found a Jewish elementary school and a Jewish Girls' High School and contributed to the establishment of synagogues. Their philanthropic support also extended to Jewish institutions in New York and Israel, reflecting a broad sense of responsibility to the global community.

Academic Foundation and Legal Career

He attended New York University and later earned his law degree from St. John’s University School of Law. After passing the New York bar, he moved to Los Angeles. There, he cofounded a law firm with two associates, Kasirer, Wolfson, and Frankel, focusing on public finance. His work as Bond Counsel and Underwriter's Counsel included financing totaling hundreds of millions of dollars across the United States. Robert later joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips as Of Counsel before choosing to partner with his father in 1984.

Building the Family Business

Together, he and his father created a real estate company that developed, owned, and operated commercial properties, primarily shopping centers in Los Angeles. After his father died in 2005, Robert continued managing and expanding the company. Over time, his two sons and his son-in-law joined the Kasirer Family Office and its subsidiaries. They now guide the company’s daily operations, while he remains involved as Chairman and continues to support long-term strategy.

Purpose Behind the Neshamah Project

Robert Kasirer's work with the Neshamah Project reflects a lifelong connection to Jewish identity shaped by his parents’ history and the experiences of Holocaust survivors. He often considers how Jewish life has endured hardship, not only through strength and perseverance but through adaptability and relevance across changing eras. In today’s digital age, he believes that younger Jews need new pathways to access community, meaning, and tradition, especially if they feel distant from formal institutions.

Neshamah was built with this understanding. It serves as a comprehensive digital ecosystem for Jewish life, where individuals and organizations can connect, discover, learn, and grow. It encourages a shift toward interconnected platforms, long-term planning, and collaborative networks. Neshamah supports an environment where technology and tradition work side by side to strengthen identity and engagement. For him, the project is a continuation of his parents’ mission to help Jewish life thrive across generations.

Family and Personal Interests

Robert has been married to his wife for 48 years. Together, they have four children and 13 grandchildren: 7 boys and six girls. In his personal time, he enjoys skiing, hiking, and traveling. Through travel, he values learning about different cultures, traditions, and landscapes throughout the world.