By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Rabbi James Diamond was remembered by friends and family Sunday afternoon as a man of greatness and humility, as a man who was loved by Jews and non-Jews alike, and a many faceted man who reflected the essence of his last name.
More than 300 friends and family members filled the sanctuary and the social hall at the Jewish Center in Princeton to honor and remember Rabbi Diamond, who was killed last week in a freak accident on Riverside Drive, in front of the Riverside Elementary School.
Rabbi Diamond was the first director of the Princeton University’s Center for Jewish Life, where he served from 1995 to 2003. He spent more than three decades as a Hillel rabbi at Indiana University and Washington University, before coming to Princeton University.
Hillel serves as a religious, educational and social focal point for Jewish college students.
Etan Diamond said his father was equally at home with Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews. Serving as a Hillel rabbi was the “perfect setting” for his father to teach and to mentor young people, Mr. Diamond said.
Rabbi Diamond would meet people “where they were,” and help them to grow, Mr. Diamond said. He was very involved in his work, and later expressed regret that he did not spend enough time with his children, his son said.
Rabbi Diamond’s daughters, Shifra Diamond and Gila Shusterman, recalled their father’s love of literature and his penchant for taking up new hobbies whether it was poetry, walking, or tai chi. He would jump in with both feet, they said.
One daughter said that while their father was “deeply traditional,” he was also open to new things. He was a “first adopter” one who embraces new technologies and changes but who did not use Facebook or social media, she said. That’s because he knew how to reach people in person, she said.
Rabbi Diamond’s son-in-law, Alan Shusterman, said he embodied both greatness and humility two traits that can be compatible in the same person. In a voice that cracked with emotion, he recalled that Rabbi Diamond treated him like a son.
”Jimmy Diamond, we will treasure you forever,” Mr. Shusterman said.
Gary Diamond, Rabbi Diamond’s younger brother, said that when one dies in their 70s, he or she is assumed to have led a full life. But Rabbi Diamond, who was 74, was just getting his second wind, Mr. Diamond said.
”I have spent the last 36 hours trying to understand why this happened,” Mr. Diamond said.
Learning is what guided his brother throughout his life, Mr. Diamond said. He was a rabbi, a teacher and a preacher, who said his job was about “hatching, matching and dispatching” students. He realized that organized religion was not for him, and that’s what attracted him to work with young people.
Mr. Diamond also recalled that Rabbi Diamond left home at 16 to attend college. His older brother would come home to visit and helped him to work through the usual adolescent issues. But as time passed, it seemed that he would return home mostly to visit the neighborhood girl who would become his wife.
”Judy was the perfect foil for him. She kept him on track,” Mr. Diamond said of his sister-in-law.
A friend who attended a Friday morning study group with Rabbi Diamond said the group would spend time over coffee, and then get down to studying. But Rabbi Diamond would have to leave, because he was going to deliver Meals on Wheels to the elderly and the shut-ins in Trenton.
”He was a ‘mitzvah’ man,” his friend said. A mitzvah is a good deed.
His friend also said that Rabbi Diamond reflected his last name. Diamonds are many faceted and rare. He was one of a kind, and “we need more like him. I will miss him,” his friend said, breaking down in tears as he completed his remarks.
