One Minute With... Diane Herman
By Libby Barsky

Special to The Jewish State

            Name: Diana Herman

            Occupation: Retired director of communications for New Jersey Pharmacist's Association 

            Address: Somerset

            Family: Married 52 years to Robert, parasitologist, (studies parasites); he was a professor at Rutgers for 30 years. Two daughters: Jane Herman lives in New York City and works for Rabbi Eric Jaffe. Amy Herman lives in New York City with son Ian, 5, and is head of education for the Frick Collection. Sister Claire Glasser is an occupational therapist married to Dr. Jascha Glasser, a retired veterinarian. They live in Cedar Grove and have two sons--Ted, a doctor who lives in Florida, and Mark, an engineer living in Warren.

            Community Activities: Past president of Temple Emanuel, Edison. Just finished four years as president of New Jersey's West Hudson Valley Council of Union for Reform Judaism. Member of the North American Board of the Union for Reform Judaism.

            Hobbies: "I play bridge, collect antiques, and read voraciously, reading everything."

            Self portrait: "I'm very organized. I'm committed to Reform Judaism. If something needs to be done, I can't sit by and wait for someone else to do it."

Motto: "If it is to be, it's up to me."

Greatest accomplishment: "My family. My own greatest accomplishment was going back to school after I retired and getting a Masters Degree in Jewish Studies at Gratz College."

Bad habits: "Being a night owl and staying up late. That's when I do my e-mailing."

Favorite TV: "'Law and Order.' I like them all. Sometimes I'll know I've seen the episode before, but I'll watch it again."

Favorite food: "Carbohydrates --pasta, mashed potatoes--I like them all."

Best childhood memory: "The hospitality in our family. Not only in my home, but in my Aunt's houses. We all lived in contact with each other, some of the family in the Bronx, some in Brooklyn. It was always open house. I remember the good times I had with my cousins and the attention we got from my parents and my aunts and uncles. My parents were immigrants-- my mother was from Vienna, and my father was from Russia--and my sister and I are graduates of elite schools."

People don't know that I: "Met my husband on a blind date. We were introduced through a mutual friend when I came home from college for Thanksgiving, and we met in November 28,1953; we were married the following year on the same date-- November 28,1954."

Last book I read: "The Namesake" by Jhumta Lahiri. "I saw the movie, loved it, and read the book. It's a beautiful story about an immigrant Indian family and their 'American' son, Gogol-- a name the son has trouble identifying with. When I took Modern European Lit in college, my professor was Vladamir Nabakov, a fascinating man. He always talked about the work of the Russian writer Gogol. So I was interested in the name."

The biggest asset in the local Jewish communities: "The Reform community, and especially Temple Emanuel, are willing to look at new ways of doing things. We're not stuck in saying 'we've always done it this way.' We're willing to look at new ways of looking at things and trying new concepts."

The biggest problem in the local Jewish communities: "Many people don't understand that being affiliated with a synagogue is very important."

If I had more time, I would: "Travel more. I love to travel, and we have two trips planned-- one to Alaska, another to Israel."