rabbi Amy L. Morrison
Rabbi Amy Morrison grew up in Detroit, Michigan and with her love of music, she always wanted to be a cantor. As she became more involved in ways to help others and practice Tikkun Olam, she realized that if she were a rabbi, she could do more of that holy work and include her passion for music. She then began her comprehensive education to become a rabbi.
Lifelong learning has been a priority for Rabbi Morrison. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Sociology and with a minor in Spanish. She then began her formal rabbinic preparation at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, earning a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 2006 and becoming ordained in 2008. She is currently completing a Master of Arts in Gerontology from the University of Southern California.
From her ordination in 2008 through 2011, she was adjunct Rabbi for life cycle events at Temple Emanual in Greensboro, North Carolina. During that time, she also served as Associate Dean of Jewish Life at American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro. Rabbi Morrison served from 2011-2019 as Assistant Rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom, a 2,000+ family congregation in Miami Beach. She then moved to Temple Israel of Greater Miami as the Senior Rabbi, serving that congregation from 2019 through June 2023. Currently, she is working as a Chaplain at Accent Care Hospice in Miami, where she provides pastoral counseling and bereavement support. She also worked for Miami Jewish Health Systems from 2011-2022, serving as a Chaplain and adjunct Rabbi for the 1,000+ elderly population.
Rabbi Morrison holds a Synagogue Management Certification, an Executive Certification in Religious Fundraising (Indiana University), a certification as a Prepare and Enrich Facilitator for premarital counseling, and has completed special training on welcoming Jews-by-choice from the Gerecht Institute in Los Angeles.
Her work with Jewish youth goes back to 2001, including senior leadership, Jewish/Hebrew programming, and youth counseling over the last 22 years at Camp Coleman (where she first worked with Barbara Mazer and the Torop family), Taglit’s Birthright Israel program, URJ’s Camp Kalsman (Washington), Camp Mountain Chai (California), and NFTY in Israel.
Rabbi Morrison is a true believer in the benefits of community engagement. She co-founded iLGBT, an interfaith clergy organization, and has been very active in Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Miami-Dade Gay/Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Lotus House (women and children’s shelter), Chapman Partnership for the Homeless, Miami-Dade County Interfaith Advisory Board, and Aqua Foundation for Women.
She brings creative ideas and improvements to the temple communities that she serves, and strives to find the funding to implement those programs. One great example is that she wanted to lead a trip to Israel for members of Temple Israel. She worked to obtain donations and other funding, providing full scholarships and travel expenses for 46 of her congregants on their 2022 trip to Israel.
Or call TBE at (727) 347-6136 or email RabbiMorrison@TempleBeth-El.com.
