Author

Diane Tobin

Diane Kaufmann Tobin is the founder and executive director emeritus of Be’chol Lashon, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about the ethnic and racial cultural diversity of the Jewish people through educational resources, diversity training and media. Be’chol Lashon is an initiative of the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, a non-profit think tank where she was the Associate Director (1998-2009) and President (2009-present). The founding of Be’chol Lashon was the result of research, “The Study of the Ethnic and Racial Diversity of the American Jewish Community” (1999), conducted by Diane and her late husband Dr. Gary Tobin z’l, inspired by the adoption of their African American son, Jonah, in 1997. She is the mother of six children.

Prior to joining the Institute, Diane was the director of Kaufmann Design, which specialized in publishing, corporate/non-profit identity, and marketing (1980-1998). She was a consultant for the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, Brandeis University and published their research from 1990-1998. She has also served as a community leader, including as a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (1980-1986) and as the President from 1986-1989.

Diane is the product of two generations of intermarriage. Her mother’s family were Baptist missionaries from England who lived in Jamaica. Her father’s family were German Jews who came to America in the mid 1800s, progressing from peddlers to building a department store. Their success was evidenced by engaging Frank Lloyd Wright to build their country home, the iconic “Fallingwater.” But what was not evident in their assimilation to America was their loss of values, motivating Diane to embark on a life-long journey to discover her Jewish identity and community. She went to the mikvah with a Conservative beit din in 1982 and identifies as a Jew-by-choice. She enjoys engaging with others on similar journeys.

Diane is an author of In Every Tongue: The Racial & Ethnic Diversity of the Jewish People (2005), and “Racial Diversity and the American Jewish Community,” Journal of Jewish Communal Service (2014), as well as articles published in Huffington Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Forward, J. The Jewish News of Northern California, eJewishPhilanthropy, Sh’ma, and My Jewish Learning, among others.