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: Max Antman: The Queerness and Politics of Torah

Shira Kline
Max Antman
How can we embrace Judaism from not only a queer perspective, but also a “political” one? Max Antman (he/him), a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, discusses how being a gay man influences his reading of Torah, how his Reform synagogue empowered his gay identity, and the sacred relationship between activism and studying Jewish text.

Wholly Jewish: Leonard: Creating Seats at the Queer Jewish Table

Shira Kline
Judaism is in a constant state of reform, and our approach to LGBTQ+ inclusivity should be, too. Leonard Slutsky (he/him), a Union for Reform Judaism lay leader and college admissions counselor, shares his experiences as a gay cisgender Jewish man; how Reform Jewish spaces affirmed his gay identity; how Judaism inspires his work as a suicide hotline volunteer; and how our communities can better serve queer Jews of all backgrounds. “I feel that it’s my role as someone who has a great deal of privilege, especially within the queer community,” he says, “to use it and help support those who don’t have as much as a voice.”