7 episodes
Breaking the Glass Jewish Rhody Media
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- Religion & Spirituality
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5.0 • 17 Ratings
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A six-part podcast series highlighting the experiences of multifaith couples and families in Jewish communities and beyond. Breaking the Glass is a celebration and a candid acknowledgment of how our experiences shape each of us, in ways both beautiful and difficult.
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Episode 6: Breaking New Ground
Originally published Jan. 12, 2023.
The final episode of the series features a conversation between Newbery 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.
Links and References:
Identity Loss or Identity Re-Shape? Religious Identification Among the Offspring of ‘Christian–Muslim’ Couples, Francesco Cerchiaro, Journal of Contemporary Religion: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13537903.2020.1839250
Check out 18Doors’ interfaith wedding toolkit: https://18doors.org/wedding/
Read Rabbi Handlarski’s book: The A—Z of Intermarriage
Learn more about her virtual synagogue space: http://secularsynagogue.org/
Read Ed Case’s book: Radical Inclusion: Engaging Interfaith Families for a Thriving Jewish Future
Learn more about the Center for Radically Inclusive Judaism https://www.cfrij.com/
Check out Imam Imaad Sayeed’s organization: The London Nikah
Where to find more Breaking the Glass episodes:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/
https://jewishrhody.com/breaking-the-glass
Episode Transcriptions:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/blog/
Looking for more Jewish Rhody Media?
https://www.instagram.com/jewishrhody/
https://www.facebook.com/jewishrhodeisland -
Episode 5: Breaking the Mold
Originally published Dec. 29, 2022.
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.
Links and References:
Read Rabbi Handlarski’s book: The A—Z of Intermarriage
Learn more about her virtual synagogue space: http://secularsynagogue.org/
Read Ed Case’s book: Radical Inclusion: Engaging Interfaith Families for a Thriving Jewish Future
Learn more about the Center for Radically Inclusive Judaism https://www.cfrij.com/
Check out Imam Imaad Sayeed’s organization: The London Nikah
Where to find more Breaking the Glass episodes:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/
https://jewishrhody.com/breaking-the-glass
Episode Transcriptions:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/blog/
Looking for more Jewish Rhody Media?
https://www.instagram.com/jewishrhody/
https://www.facebook.com/jewishrhodeisland -
Episode 4: Breaking the Glass
Originally published Dec. 15, 2022.
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.
Links and References:
Read Rabbi Handlarski’s book: The A—Z of Intermarriage
Learn more about her virtual synagogue space: http://secularsynagogue.org/
Read Ed Case’s book: Radical Inclusion: Engaging Interfaith Families for a Thriving Jewish Future
Learn more about the Center for Radically Inclusive Judaism https://www.cfrij.com/
Learn more about the London Nikah http://www.thelondonnikah.com/
Where to find more Breaking the Glass episodes:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/
https://jewishrhody.com/breaking-the-glass
Episode Transcription:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/blog/breaking-the-glass-episode-4-breaking-the-glass/
Looking for more Jewish Rhody Media?
https://www.instagram.com/jewishrhody/
https://www.facebook.com/jewishrhodeisland -
Episode 3: Breaking the News Part 2
Originally published Dec. 1, 2022.
Editor's Note: The Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative rabbis, updated their stance to allow members to attend weddings of interfaith couples in 2018.
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.
Links and References:
Read Rabbi Handlarski’s book: The A—Z of Intermarriage
Learn more about her virtual synagogue space: http://secularsynagogue.org/
Read Ed Case’s book: Radical Inclusion: Engaging Interfaith Families for a Thriving Jewish Future
Learn more about the Center for Radically Inclusive Judaism https://www.cfrij.com/
Where to find more Breaking the Glass episodes:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/
https://jewishrhody.com/breaking-the-glass
Episode Transcriptions:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/blog/
Looking for more Jewish Rhody Media?
https://www.instagram.com/jewishrhody/
https://www.facebook.com/jewishrhodeisland -
Episode 2: Breaking the News Part 1
Originally published Dec. 1, 2022.
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.
Links and References:
Read Rabbi Handlarski’s book: The A—Z of Intermarriage
Learn more about her virtual synagogue space: http://secularsynagogue.org/
Read Ed Case’s book: Radical Inclusion: Engaging Interfaith Families for a Thriving Jewish Future
Learn more about the Center for Radically Inclusive Judaism https://www.cfrij.com/
Where to find more Breaking the Glass episodes:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/
https://jewishrhody.com/breaking-the-glass
Episode Transcriptions:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/blog/
Looking for more Jewish Rhody Media?
https://www.instagram.com/jewishrhody/
https://www.facebook.com/jewishrhodeisland -
Episode 1: Breaking the Ice
Originally published Dec. 1, 2022.
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.
We all understand the urge to belong – it’s human. But when we rally around a negative identity – who we “aren’t” rather than who we “are” or “could be” – we limit and weaken the very communities we rely on for support and engagement. Couples and faith leaders are raising their voices to show that notions of religion, family and community can change and expand, and that’s not only a good thing, but a necessary one.
Links and References:
Read Rabbi Handlarski’s book: The A—Z of Intermarriage
Learn more about her virtual synagogue space: http://secularsynagogue.org/
Read Ed Case’s book: Radical Inclusion: Engaging Interfaith Families for a Thriving Jewish Future
Learn more about the Center for Radically Inclusive Judaism https://www.cfrij.com/
Where to find more Breaking the Glass episodes:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/
https://jewishrhody.com/breaking-the-glass
Episode Transcriptions:
https://www.podpage.com/breaking-the-glass/blog/
Looking for more Jewish Rhody Media?
https://www.instagram.com/jewishrhody/
https://www.facebook.com/jewishrhodeisland
Customer Reviews
Relevant to Secular Folks As Well
Perhaps, like me, your family encouraged you to love whomever you want, and to marry—or just forever cohabit with—anyone who treats you well and makes you happy, regardless of creed. This podcast may be all the more striking to us easygoing secularists, because it illustrates a conflict that is still so real for so many. Emma Newberry asks a lot of hard questions, exploring why intermarriage remains such a hot topic. The stakes are high for a population that has faced so much oppression, forced conversion, and ruthless erasure. Moreover, Newberry humanizes the couples who have resisted cultural expectations, who had to strain and sacrifice family bonds in order to consecrate their love. Love may conquer all, but, as the listener discovers, not without casualties. “Breaking the Glass” is a layered and sensitive ensemble piece from an enterprising journalist. I can only hope it’s the first series of many.
Beautiful, searching, and insightful.
A lovely and wise exploration of interfaith relationships, families, and love.
This is a sacred podcast, and so needed in Jewish communities today
This podcast encapsulates, beautifully, the challenges -- and also joys -- of interfaith families navigating Jewish community. Despite decades of progress, we still live in a Jewish community where people in interfaith relationships are banned from many forms of Jewish leadership. People still, upon hearing about a new romantic partner, ask "well are they Jewish?" before "well do they make you happy?" Grateful that this podcast can help move the needle and serve the creation of a world where interfaith relationships are seen as gifts to Jewish life -- not as a threat to its (our) existence.