With the 2025 spring semester upon us, we are delighted to highlight the talented and dedicated AJRCA community.
Today we are thrilled to spotlight AJRCA faculty member, Rabbi Mark Diamond.
Promoting interfaith dialogue is a hallmark of Rabbi Mark Diamond’s career. As a professor at Loyola Marymount University and AJRCA, Rabbi Diamond brings an ecumenical outlook to his teaching in both institutions.
Rabbi Diamond stepped into his roles as an activist and a leader in college, where he observed that various ethnic and religious groups, including many Jews on campus, lived in off-campus housing. He convinced the administration at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, to provide a Jewish student house and center on campus, complete with a kosher kitchen – quite an accomplishment for a college student.
Rabbi Diamond graduated from JTS about forty years ago with the intent of becoming a pulpit rabbi. He held positions in suburban Philadelphia, Washington DC, and San Francisco before relocating to Southern California in 2000 to become the Executive Vice President of the Southern California Board of Rabbis. In his new position, shepherding over 300 rabbis of various denominations, he emphasized the building of bridges between various Jewish denominations – a theme that has become more prevalent within the Jewish community in the 21st century.
“We are more alike than different,” stated Rabbi Mark. “We need to capitalize on our shared experiences rather than our differences.” This, also, is one of the hallmarks of AJRCA.
As a Senior Lecturer at LMU and one of the earliest hired professors at AJRCA, Rabbi Diamond champions this same philosophy. He teaches courses at LMU about Jewish Thought and Interfaith Relations. With the recent increase in antisemitism worldwide, this course is increasingly important. Rabbi Diamond has also helped to lead students and faculty on trips to Poland and Israel, creating shared experiences and encouraging greater communication and understanding.
Rabbi Diamond believes that AJRCA’s goals and commitment to multi-denominational learning together is the future of Judaism in the 21st century. Modern Jews are seeking the relevance of Jewish values in their lives as much or more than Talmudic study. His goal is to prepare AJRCA graduates for ‘real life’ in the Jewish community. In his courses, students learn the practical skills they need to become pulpit rabbis, conduct life cycle events, fundraise, and more. Being a rabbi, cantor, or chaplain is more than delivering a sermon, singing a prayer, or comforting community members. Students are given practical experiences, such as speaking to a bar/bat mitzvah child and creating a liturgy for a baby naming ceremony. And, of course, discussion of professional ethics is an essential part of Rabbi Diamond’s curriculum.
Written by Susan Casamassima