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Class of 2018: Shirah Kraus

April 9, 2018
Shirah Kraus

Post-graduation plans: Shirah will begin the first year of a five-year rabbinical school program, attending Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Her first year of study is in Jerusalem and the other four will be in the U.S. She will study Hebrew, Jewish texts, and develop professional skills. She will be ordained in May 2023 and officially become a Reform Rabbi.

Shirah on her Bryn Mawr experience: "I truly feel that Bryn Mawr has strengthened and challenged meacademically, socially, and in so many other ways. I have developed strong relationships and grown as a leader on campus. All of the papers my professors pushed me to do my best on, all of the late nights spent laughing with or comforting friends, all of the challenging moments spent trying to make the Bryn Mawr community better have fortified and prepared me for the next stage of my life."

Major: Religion (at Haverford)

Concentration: Gender and Sexuality Studies

Key Bryn Mawr experiences:

  • Started the J Street U chapter at Bryn Mawr, a national student movement which organizes for a two state solution in Israel/Palestine
  • Hillel
  • BiCo women's frisbee team, the Sneetches
  • New Dorm Dining Hall Work
  • Studied abroad at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, completing the Arabic Immersion Program

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio.


Members of the Class of 2018, we want to know what you've got planned for life after Bryn Mawr! Drop us a note at news@brynmawr.edu. You can include a photo of yourself or let us know if you'd like to have a photo taken. We'll be sharing selected profiles on the College's website and social media channels in the weeks leading up to Commencement.

Haverford Department of Religion

Gender and Sexuality Program

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