The name Mike Eisenstadt is a legend in the Jewish community throughout Florida and beyond.  Mike not only brought joy through Jewish music, but was a very important figure in many areas of Jewish life in Tampa Bay.

Originally from Bristol, Rhode Island, Mike came from a multi-generation family of klezmer musicians.  The “Buckler Family Band” was known to gather for many a family simcha.  When the Tampa Jewish National Fund needed a band for a fundraising gala in 1988, The Mike Eisenstadt Band was formed.  Over the years the band became known throughout Florida as a band that was twofold: a Jewish touring and recording group that can change gears and become a rock and roll party band.  Klezmer was always Mike’s primary musical love.

Mike was well known in central Florida as the host of the “Sunday Simcha”, a two hour weekly radio broadcast that serves the Jewish community – a post that he held for nearly 20 years.  Mike was also an authority on Jewish humor, and served as a lecturer for the Florida Humanities Council.

Mike and his wife, Debbi, were founding members of Congregation Kol Ami in Tampa, where he was a very active member, once serving a term as Men's Club president.  In 2001, after 25 years as a volunteer Jewish community activist,  Mike became the Director of Community Relations at the Tampa Jewish Federation.  In addition, he was a board member of the Tampa Jewish Federation and Jewish National Fund, and was a co-founder of Tampa PRIMER (Promoting Responsibility in Middle East Reporting, www.tampabayprimer.org ).  Mike and Debbi organized and lead trips to Israel.

When Mike passed away in September of 2005, a gaping hole formed in the Tampa Bay Jewish community that is felt by everyone who had any contact with him.  Shortly before he passed away, the Tampa Jewish National Fund honored Mike and Debbi for their contributions to the Jewish community.  In 2006, WMNF community radio dedicated the “Mike Eisenstadt live-music studio”.  We keep the name “The Mike Eisenstadt Band” to honor him and keep his name alive in Florida, and anywhere we perform.  The impact of such a man lasts long after he is taken from the earth.