Shira Kline

Shira Kline, aka ShirLaLa, is an award winning New York-based performer and music educator. She travels across the country and internationally with her kiddie-rock band, delivering a dynamic, interactive program of joy and spirit, story and song.

Raised in the world of music and the tradition of Torah, Shira has worked for over a decade with a diverse array of Jewish communities to enliven rituals, holiday celebrations, and love for Jewish life and prayer. Blending words, story, and music, she creates a rich experience for children and adults alike. Shira’s innovative approach was recognized by The Jewish Week in 2011 when they honored her as one of their “36 Under 36: The New Re-Engineers” of Jewish life. Featuring the talents of professional circus drummer Lee "Free" Frisari (Circus Amok) and glitter pink glam rock star guitarist Viva Deconcini, ShirLaLa has performed in hundreds of venues throughout the U.S. as well as stages in Canada, England, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand. Her three “outrageously hip Jewish kiddie rock” albums Shirlala Shabbat, Shirlala Pesach, and Shirlala Chanukah have sold over 25,000 copies.

Shira has been called the "Pied Piper of the next green generation" by LA Parent Magazine for her project, Earth Worm Disco. She celebrates eco-music for all the little rock 'n rollers out there who love to sing and dance and who love our planet too! A Parent’s Choice award winner, Earth Worm Disco nourishes the brain, body, and heart with original and imaginative music, stories, and games that connect children to environmentalism.

Wholly Jewish: Noa: The Beauty of Taking Up Space

Noah Baron
Shira Kline
On the season finale of Wholly Jewish season 2, we are joined by NYU student and college organizer Noa Baron (they/them)! Noa shares the personal and Jewish and significance of their name (and their Jewish name-changing ceremony), the importance of deep listening to the queer community, their aspirations as a trans Jewish leader, and the beauty LGBTQ+ Jews bring to the Jewish community.

Wholly Jewish: Denis: Coming Out and Showing Up

Shira Kline
Hosted by Jewish performance and ritual artist Shira Kline (she/her), a.k.a. ShirLaLa, this season features interviews with LGBTQ+ Jews from the Union for Reform Judaism's JewV'Nation Fellowship. Follow along as they share their experiences in Jewish spaces, how their queerness and their Judaism intersect, and visions of a more inclusive...

Wholly Jewish: Dara: From Parliament to the Bimah

Rabbi Dara Lithwick
Shira Kline
Hosted by Jewish performance and ritual artist Shira Kline (she/her), a.k.a. ShirLaLa, this season features interviews with LGBTQIA+ Jews from the Union for Reform Judaism's JewV'Nation Fellowship. Follow along as they share their experiences in Jewish spaces, how their queerness and their Judaism intersect, and their visions of a more...

Wholly Jewish: Grace: Breaking Down the Gates of Queer Judaism

Shira Kline
Being queer and Jewish means something different to everyone, and those differences deserve to be celebrated. This week, Grace Collins (they/them) talks about being a Jewish storyteller and teacher; their connection, as a Jew-by-choice, to Rabbi Akiva’s teachings;, repairing the world in an oppressive political climate; and the dangers of “gatekeeping” in queer and Jewish spaces.

Wholly Jewish: Laura: Creating Peace Out of Wholeness

Shira Kline
This week’s guest, Cantor Laura Stein, shares her perspectives on how we can best care for those around us, the (lack of) tension between being Jewish and being a lesbian, and how her spiritual leadership inspires her social work at Mount Sinai Hospital's Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery.