Gathering the elements that help you and your community access meaning — melody, rhythm, the seasons, our stories…
Weddings and Commitment Ceremonies
I have supported more than 30 couples — gay and straight, cis and trans, Jewish and multifaith — in designing relevant, powerful, beautiful, spiritual, musical, and moving wedding and commitment ceremonies.
While each individual and every union is unique, I draw from the deep well of Hasidic and Kabbalistic traditions to weave a rooted yet original ritual to celebrate and elevate your coupling.
As a musician, I use song and silence as tools for connecting communities, opening hearts, and deepening love.
“Shir made our experience beautiful rather than routine, spiritual rather than religious. Shir brought magic to our wedding day.”
“It was beautiful. It was simple. It was exactly what I wanted. ”
“It would be an understatement to say that our experience working with Reb Shir was exceptional. Shir ticked all the boxes for us: social justice minded, could speak to both the spiritual and cultural aspects of Judaism that were meaningful to us, and musical. While my partner and I are Jewish, many of our guests were not; it was important to maintain many elements of a traditional ceremony, but it was imperative that our guests unfamiliar with these traditions feel respected and acknowledged. Simply everyone told us that our ceremony was the most beautiful they had ever witnessed. It was so amazing to share this moment with so many loved ones, and for our diverse group to all be connected in this way, because of Shir’s work with us and the graceful and magical ability to help everyone find meaning in the ceremony. We felt true to ourselves and true to our communities. Shir was warm, the chanting was beautiful, and the entire thing felt dreamy and powerful.”
“You conducted such a beautiful ceremony that not only were our guests crying but our guests told us that the entire line of bridesmaids were crying. The rituals you brought to the service that were instinctively yours were sweet and serene. It brought everyone into the ceremony and everyone together.”
Read more reviews on The Knot.
Baby Namings
“You were so wonderful officiating and guiding my granddaughter’s naming. It was more beautiful, love- and God-filled than I could ever express in words. The feeling of connection and community was palpable. You elevated the whole experience in such a gentle, loving way. It was sublime. Thank you from the bottom of my very deep heart.” –LN
From traditional, deeply spiritual brit milah to creative-collaborative ritual design, I can help guide, gather, and hold you and your community in spirit, song, and celebration.
B‘ Mitzvah
“It's hard to put words to something that is beyond words. Maybe a poet or a songwriter could do it, but it's not MY thing. My thing is choosing the best, and Shir is the BEST… Shir made every step of the process of Bat Mitzvah (for every generation) meaningful, engaging, fun, and real. What more could we ask?
“The culmination of learning, singing, debating, bonding, reflecting, and prayer was a beautiful service co-led by our daughter and Shir where all of her selfhood as a budding adult shined.
“We could not have wished for a better rite of passage for our whole family and everyone involved was enriched by the soulfulness of the approach, the music, the prayers, the Torah service, engagement with text, and the culture of active engagement.” –LG
“After a decade of photographing B’ Mitzvahs, Shir’s service was by far the most beautiful, warm, and inviting I have seen. The music was astounding and joyful. Shir made everybody in the room feel like family.” –LS
From 1:1 Hebrew tutoring to teaching kids (and their parents!) to leyn/chant from the Torah to delving into Jewish culture, history, and genealogy, to planning the perfect bespoke ceremony for your family, I have designed and officiated dozens of meaningful, multigenerational rites of passage.
I have helped children and families who grapple with learning difficulties, social anxiety, gender expansiveness, and identity challenges to create substantial and memorable ceremonies. I have a whole-family approach seeking to integrate as wide and deep of a community engagement as possible. I work outside of extant institutional structures but also partner well with synagogues, temples, and other communities of worship.
As a graphic designer, I also design and develop custom siddurim/prayerbooks uniquely tailored to your event. See one example to the right or check out more on issuu.com.
Transitions ꩜ Initiations
Many life changes have no established rituals to mark them but need recognition and amplification. Name change, divorce, retirement, or identity shifts are just a few. We never stop growing.
While spiritual direction might be the best place for us to begin deepening our relationship, you might already know that you’re looking for someone to help define and hold a transformational container. If that’s the case, I’m ready to meet you at this edge of emergence.
Funerals. Memorial services. Healing circles.
“You did the most amazing thing for all of us, Shir. I could barely believe how strongly you held everyone. I’ve been realizing now how difficult the whole day was for me and how much work it was to show up…. You were a clear bright spot for all and I’m so grateful.”
–EG