181. When Hope Feels Hard with Rabbi Karen Perolman and Rabbi Danny Stein
In this episode, we sit down with Rabbi Karen Perolman and Rabbi Danny Stein for an open and tender conversation about navigating fertility struggles while serving as rabbis. Together, they share their personal stories, what it felt like to move through the High Holidays in the midst of pain, and the complicated balance of leading a congregation while caring for their own hearts.
This is a powerful look at faith, vulnerability, and resilience—and a reminder that no one is immune to the challenges of fertility journeys, not even those guiding our communities.
More about Rabbi Karen Glazer Perolman:
Rabbi Karen Glazer Perolman is the Senior Associate Rabbi at Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey, the congregation she has served since 2008. She was ordained as a rabbi by the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 2010.
Her writings have been published online and in five CCAR Press publications: The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic (2011), Moral Resistance and Spiritual Authority: Our Jewish Obligation to Social Justice (2019), The Sacred Encounter: Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality (2014), and Mishkan Ga’avah: Where Pride Dwells (2020) and The Sacred Struggle: Jewish Responses to Trauma (2025). She is the co-founder of Modern Jewess, an emerging publication for Jewish women to write and connect.
Karen has been a proud board member of I Was Supposed To Have a Baby since 2024. She lives in New Jersey with her wife, Liz Glazer, a lawyer-turned-comedian, their teenage cat Jack, and toddler, Eloise.
Connect with Rabbi Karen Glazer Perolman:
- Follow her on Instagram
- Visit her website here
- Feel free to reach out via email at: krperolman@gmail.com
More about Rabbi Danny Stein:
Danny Stein is the rabbi of the Selma and Lawrence Ruben Base UWS, a pluralistic Jewish community for 20s & 30s in New York-based out of his and his wife Tamara's home. He feels passionate about helping folks connect with Judaism in ways meaningful for themselves. After being supported by IWSTHAB amidst his own fertility journey filled with losses and uncertainty, Danny is proud to help change the conversation within Jewish communities. He loves studying Hasidut, eating sushi, and is an overjoyed abbah (father) to their IVF baby.
Connect with Rabbi Danny Stein:
- Follow his personal Instagram account
- Check out the Base Upper West Side Instagram
- Visit the Base Upper West Side website
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