Rabbi Amy Hertz

Rabbi Amy Beth Hertz joined Rodef Shalom on July 1, 2008. An accomplished academic and a skilled educator and youth worker, Rabbi Hertz considers her work here as a perfect opportunity to continue to learn and to teach.

A native of Houston, Texas, Rabbi Hertz graduated from Northwestern University in 2001, where her name appeared on the Dean’s List each of her four years. She subsequently received her ordination from the Cincinnati Caps of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2008. There, she distinguished herself as well, earning special regard for her academic work and her ability as a preacher.

Rabbi Hertz, the only among her classmates at HUC-JIR, also trained in both Clinical Pastoral Education (Cincinnati's Children's Hospital, 2006) and Grief Counseling (Fernside: A Center for Grieving Children and Families, 2007).

Outside of academia, she worked with elementary age children at Greene Family Camp in Texas (sister camp to our Goldman Union Camp Institute in Indiana), planned and taught bar- and bat-mitzvah classes for 6th graders, and served for two years in HUC-JIR's Department of Youth Programs. At HUC-JIR, she helped to design, create, and coordinate over 15 retreats for high school and college-age students. She also is certified by the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) as an Israel Tour Educator. At Rodef Shalom, Rabbi Hertz uses these skills and experiences to impact those at our Family Center as well as our Religious School students, youth group members, and teens (and their families).

Though Rabbi Hertz was raised in the Classical tradition, she is intimately familiar with our prayerbook, Mishkan T'filah. It is her firm belief that Judaism is and must be inclusive, a belief that will serve our congregation well as we continue to extend our reach into the wider community.

In 2011, Rabbi Hertz became Associate Rabbi and Director of Life Long Learning.