Amy Small

Rabbi Amy Joy Small is the founding Rabbi and Director of Deborah's Palm Center for Jewish Learning and Experiences. She was ordained from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1987 and has served congregations in New Jersey, Michigan and Indiana. She is a past president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, with many years of board service. She is a fellow of Rabbis Without Borders and a senior fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute. She is currently on the Board of Governors of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, the Jewish Federation of Metrowest NJ, National Interreligious Leadership Delegation for Peace in the Middle East, and the MetroWest NJ Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life. She was a Vice Chair for the National JNFA Rabbinic Cabinet, and served on the boards of Religions for Peace USA, the American Zionist Movement, and the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Israel Committee. Among her interfaith activities, she co-taught an intensive course, Building Abrahamic Partnerships at the Hartford Seminary. Rabbi Small previously was Dean of Academic Administration and Director of the Education Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.


Articles by Amy Small

Why Freedom of Expression is So Essential

The terrorist attacks in Paris at Charlie Hebdo and in Copenhagen targeting artist Lars Vilks have reopened conversation about whether ...

Dare to Be Bored

“Are we there yet?!!!” I recall saying this as a child, later enduring it from my kids. With this call ...

What “The Interview” Teaches Us

After watching The Interview  I recalled a particular Purim shpiel (a comic dramatization) from nearly 30 years ago. It was a ...

Cultivating Generous Giving in the Season of Shopping

This Thanksgiving, I felt so grateful for the presence of beloved family. Yet I was also mindful of a friend’s ...

A Bat Mitzvah Hand-Me-Down

I wore a white eyelet dress for my 1971 bat mitzvah. My mom bought it at a discount shop on ...

The Day After Yom Kippur, Now What?

It’s the great communal experience of the Jewish people. We fill halls and sanctuaries and homes in eager anticipation. Some ...

Between Death and Life

Years ago, I faced a summer’s end with a series of five deaths in the tiny congregation I served as ...

Removing the Veil of Denial on Anti-Semitism

Growing up, my favorite day was the annual Israel day parade in Philadelphia. It was a celebration of belonging and identity. ...

Keep the Faith?

A week after coming home from a month in Israel, my soul remains immersed there. The tension in Israel, charged ...

The Destination: Israel

I experience the world through Jewish history. I came by it honestly, having been a lifelong avid student of Jewish ...