Breaking the Glass

Episode 1: Breaking the Ice

Religious engagement in America is declining. Polarization is climbing. Who are the people finding commonality and love in today’s divided society? Multifaith couples.  Breaking the Glass features couples who were raised in different religions from their partner, and the community leaders who are fighting for a place for these couples in religious and cultural communities. This first episode introduces you to the guests in this series and gives an overview of the obstacles they face.  

Episode 2: Breaking the News Part 1

A Jew walks into his girlfriend’s parents’ kitchen and is asked to carve up a ham...   For multifaith couples, meeting the parents can be a nerve-wracking experience, but it’s also a chance to observe how religions and traditions diverge and overlap. Hear from couples and experts alike as they detail their experiences with partners’ families and with their own, sharing their happiness and the challenges they faced when their multifaith relationships started to get serious. Robert DeNiro won’t know what hit him.  

Episode 3: Breaking the News Part 2

What happens when force of habit becomes, well, forced? Breaking the News, Pt. 2 surveys the institutional responses to multifaith marriage that have cast it into the corners of communal life for far too long. Faith leaders, multifaith marriage advocates and couples break down the role – and toll – of emotions in communal decisions, helping us to break the news to ourselves: multifaith couples are looking for a place in religious communities, and it’s high time they are fully welcome.  

Episode 4: Breaking the Glass

You say ketubah, I say kitab. We both say, I do! This episode features the many ways people choose to celebrate their marriage. Whether on land or at sea, with an Imam or JP, our couples share how they decided to make their special day uniquely theirs. If you’re looking for wedding inspiration, an officiant to fit your union, or other ways to make tradition reflect your reality, this is the episode for you.

Episode 5: Breaking the Mold

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but sometimes it rolls down the hill and onto a path entirely its own. In this episode, couples, experts and faith leaders discuss the experiences of their children and of their own childhoods. Breaking the Mold is a constellation of stories about what shapes us into the people we are and informs the choices we make, and how we can best make those choices for the next generation to be open, caring and motivated to be true to themselves.

Episode 6: Breaking New Ground

The final episode of the series features a conversation between Emma and series regular Rabbi Denise Handlarski about the practical and meaningful ways that community can be constructed. Interspersed with a Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) service from Rabbi Handlarski’s Secular Synagogue and summarizing insights from series guests, this one-on-one interview culminates in important reflections on identity and inclusion for the Jewish community and beyond.

What Listeners Are Saying

“a layered and sensitive ensemble piece from an enterprising journalist. I can only hope it’s the first series of many” - Apple User 57176479

“beautiful, searching, and insightful” - @greenlightnight

“this is a sacred podcast, and so needed” - Lex Rofeberg, host of Judaism Unbound

“It’s amazing how far we’ve come […] As a Jewish woman in an interfaith marriage, raising two Jewish children, who are now grown […] just listening to the preview trailer brought tears to my eyes.” - Laura Freedman Pedrick