2019 Recipient: Anita Diamant
Anita Diamant, author and community leader, is honored with 2019 Bernard Reisman Professional Excellence Award.
The Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University is pleased to announce author and community leader, Anita Diamant, as this year's recipient of the Bernard Reisman Professional Excellence Award and Commencement Speaker on May 19, 2019 for the Hornstein graduating Class of 2019.
Established by the Hornstein Alumni Association and friends and colleagues of Bernard Reisman, Hornstein Director from 1969-1994, this award is presented each year at the Hornstein commencement ceremony to a professional who "has demonstrated innovative work and significant leadership… as well as a commitment to the standards of excellence, Jewish commitment and sensitivity to others as reflected by Bernard Reisman in his work."
“Anita Diamant is a visionary and creative community leader who has inspired people in Boston and throughout the world,” observes Ellen Smith, director of the Hornstein Program. “Through her writing and her activism in shaping innovative and responsive Jewish organizations, she serves as a bridge builder, an inspiring leader and a role model to so many of our students and alumni. Along with Professor Leonard Saxe, chair of the Hornstein Program, we are honored to present the Reisman Award to her and celebrate her as our Commencement Speaker.”
Please join us in congratulating and honoring Anita for her service to the Jewish community.
About Anita Diamant
Anita Diamant is the author of 12 books. Her first novel, New York Times bestseller, "The Red Tent," has been published in more than 25 countries and was adapted into a two-part miniseries by Lifetime TV. Her other bestselling novels include "Good Harbor." She has also written six non-fiction guides to contemporary Jewish life, including "The Jewish Wedding Now," "The Jewish Baby Book," "Living a Jewish Life," "Choosing a Jewish Life," "How to Raise a Jewish Child" and "Saying Kaddish." A collection of her essays, "Pitching My Tent," is drawn from 20 years of newspaper and magazine columns. An award-winning journalist, her articles have appeared in the Boston Globe Magazine, Real Simple, Parenting Magazine, Hadassah, Reform Judaism, Boston Magazine, Yankee Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. Anita Diamant is the founding president of Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh, a 21st century reinvention of the ritual bath as a place for exploring ancient traditions and enriching contemporary Jewish life. She grew up in Newark, New Jersey and Denver, Colorado; and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in comparative literature and holds a master’s degree in English from Binghamton University.