Neils grandparents were from Eastern Europe, his father's parents were called Abram and Sadie Diamond, and they were from Poland. His mother's parents were called Abraham and Molly Rappaport and they were Russian.
They all journeyed across the wide Atlantic Ocean to find their American dream. Both families settled in and around New Jersey, and it wasn't long before their children: Akeeba Diamond and Rose Rappaport fell in love and married on December 18th 1938 in Brooklyn. They were 21 and 20 years old. In 1941 on 24th January, Neil Leslie Diamond was born- just three years after they were married. Harvey was born just a few years later.
Most of their childhood was spend in a tight knit Jewish community, which made their lives very happy.
