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Release: January 31, 1995
Contact: Justin Harmon (609/258-5732)


Rabbi James S. Diamond Appointed Director
of Princeton University's Center for Jewish Life

PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 31 -- The appointment of Rabbi James S.
Diamond as the director of Princeton University's Center for
Jewish Life was announced today by the center's acting director,
Professor Thomas H. Stix.

"Rabbi Diamond brings a wealth of experience in Jewish campus
affairs and a profound knowledge of Judaism and its modern
literature. We are very fortunate indeed," Stix said. "He is a
marvelously warm person - someone you immediately like and respect
and feel comfortable with."

The Center for Jewish Life, located on the University campus,
functions under the joint partnership of Princeton University and
the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation. It provides a central
structure for religious, social, cultural, and informal
educational activities for Jewish students, faculty and staff.

Rabbi Diamond, whose tenure of office will begin on July 1, brings
more than 20 years of experience in Hillel to his new position.
He comes to Princeton from St. Louis, where he has served as the
executive director of Hillel since 1972. The St. Louis Hillel,
located next to Washington University, also serves eight other
colleges and universities in the area, with a combined population
of approximately 3,500 Jewish students and 300 faculty.

With an academic background that includes a bachelor's degree in
English literature from Roosevelt University in Chicago, rabbinic
ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a doctorate
in comparative literature from Indiana University, Rabbi Diamond
is the author of two books and numerous articles and essays, and
edited A Handbook for Hillel and Jewish Campus Professionals,
published in 1983. As an adjunct professor at Washington
University, Rabbi Diamond has taught a number of courses there
centered on his extensive knowledge of modern Hebrew literature.
He has also served as preceptor for independent study students in
Washington's Jewish and Near Eastern Studies Program. In
addition, Rabbi Diamond has held several major fellowships and was
awarded an honorary doctoral degree by the Jewish Theological
Seminary in 1988.

Dean Joseph Williamson of the Office of Religious Life and of the
Chapel, under whose aegis the center operates, said, "On behalf of
the University, I enthusiastically welcome Rabbi James Diamond.
His scholarship, his breadth of experience, and his religious
commitment qualify him particularly to lead the center into a
promising future."

"We are very, very pleased to have a person of the caliber and
experience of Rabbi Diamond," commented Dean Janina Montero of the
Office of Student Life. "We are confident that his presence will
be a valuable addition to the life of the campus."

In a telephone interview, Rabbi Diamond said that he was honored
by the offer and thrilled with being able to help shape
Princeton's new center. "I look upon the center as a partnership
with the University - an enterprise that can bring new meaning and
joy to all those who participate."

Rabbi Diamond is married and has three children. His wife, Judy
Diamond, is administrator for the Department of Psychiatry at the
St. Louis University Health Sciences Center. Their daughter
Shifra, after writing for several years for Mademoiselle, recently
received her M.A. in English from Washington University. Their
daughter Gila Shusterman has just received her doctoral degree in
social psychology from Brandeis; she and her husband, Alan, live
in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Son Etan lives with his wife Judy in
Toronto, while he works on his dissertation in American history
for a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon.

The Center for Jewish Life opened its doors in February 1993. It
serves as a home base for a variety of Jewish student groups,
including Social Action/Chesed, Jewish Theater Project, Jewish
Women's Connection, Yavneh, and Princeton Jewish Student Appeal,
and an a capella singing group, among others. The center
incorporates a sanctuary, auditorium, classroom, kosher kitchen
and dining facilities, a Beit Midrash, a Judaica library, a
computer cluster, and recreational areas.

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