Welcome to Inviting Oneness, a podcast where we explore true stories from friends and members of EquaSion—stories where the illusion of separateness gave way to the deeper truth of our shared humanity. Oneness isn't an idea, it's an experience. And today we continue listening for it one story at a time. 

This week's storyteller is Rabbi Shirah C Kraus. Rabbi Kraus currently serves as the part-time rabbi for Temple Shalom in Lafayette, Louisiana as well as the youth group advisor and teen coordinator for Rockdale Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a BA in Religion from Bryn Mawr College (2018) and MaHL, MEdL, and ordination from HUC-JIR (2022, 2024).

Since high school, Shirah has brought Jewish education, spirituality, and music to a variety of communities. She has led campers in Zionsville, IN, taught students in Philadelphia, delivered sermons in Jerusalem, traveled as a student rabbi to North Dakota, Lake Tahoe, and Port Angeles, worked as the “Director of Fun” at Eden Village West in Healdsburg, CA, and served as an interfaith chaplain in Cincinnati, OH. In every place, Shirah has shared her passion for connection, learning, justice, joy, and creativity.

Shirah she grew up in Cincinnati with her parents, Rabbi Sissy Coran (z’l) and Rabbi Matthew Kraus, and three siblings, Jacob (Kim), Micah, and Eden. Shirah loves to sing, play banjo and guitar, write, travel, cook, craft, and play with her nieces.

If today’s story moved you and you’d like to get involved visit us at equasion.org.

Until next time, may we keep inviting oneness—within ourselves, and with one another.