Rabbi Shira Shazeer is the founder and director of the Jewish Birth Network.  She received ordination from Hebrew College in June 2010.  She is also studying towards certification as a childbirth educator through Childbirth International.  Before rabbinical school, Shira studied Talmud and Jewish Law in the Scholars Circle at Drisha Institute for Jewish Education in New York.  She has facilitated and guided families in planning numerous Jewish life-cycle rituals, and has a passion for creating ceremonies that reflect the individuals involved.  She sees pregnancy and birth as safe, holy, and powerful moments which, when experienced with presence and intention, transform individuals and couples, launching them into the joys, challenges and responsibilities of parenthood.  Shira lives in Natick, MA with her husband, Ken Richmond, and two sons, Zalmen, 3, and Velvel, 1.