Almost twins

Rabbi Howard Diamond, of the Congregation B’nai-Shalom Beth David, was ecstatic when he learned that his daughter was at the hospital giving birth to his grandchild.

When he learned that his other daughter was also at the same hospital giving birth just a few doors down, his happiness doubled.

Diamond’s daughters Seri Diamond and Yashi Bear were both pregnant at the same time. In fact, their due dates were just a day apart. Neither of them was planning on going to South Nassau Communities Hospital on Oct. 27, but it was where they both ended up.

“I texted my sister in the morning,” Seri Diamond said. “She didn’t tell me she was thinking of going to the hospital. When we got here, my husband called my mother, and she said, ‘Oh, your sister’s there.’”

The two sisters were just a few rooms apart while they were in labor. At 3:20 p.m., Dr. Edmund Tomlinson delivered a healthy baby boy to Yashi: Shalom Yitzchok Lieb Baer. Then he went over to Seri’s room and delivered her son as well, Amiel Zamir, just one hour and 15 minutes later, at 4:35 p.m.

“It was very cool. It was very exciting,” Seri said of going through her pregnancy with her sister. “When we both found out we were in the hospital together, it was very cool too. They’ll be friends for life now. They’re practically twins.”