Episode 6 - Where I am From

Episode 6 - Where I am From

Author: Danielle Dardashti, Galeet Dardashti March 12, 2024 Duration: 42:36

When people asked “Where are you from?” Danielle was never sure if they wanted to know the places she’d lived or whether they just thought she looked foreign. She didn’t know many families like hers in mainstream Jewish America. These days, there’s growing awareness about the diversity of the Jewish experience.

Co-creators / Co-executive producers - Danielle Dardashti and Galeet Dardashti

The Nightingale of Iran - nightingaleofiran.com 

Presented by The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a publication of 70 Faces Media

Host - Danielle Dardashti

Writer / Director / Senior Producer - Danielle Dardashti

Producer / Musical Director / Subject Matter Expert - Galeet Dardashti

Audio Editors / Sound Designers - Rebecca Seidel and Zachary Goldberg

Story Editor - Rider Alsop

Story Consultant - Asal Ehsanipour

Composer of Theme Song - Galeet Dardashti: “Melekh” from her album Monajat, featuring Younes Dardashti (with Shanir Blumenkranz, Max ZT, Zafer Tawil, Philip Mayer)

In Episode 6, Where I am From, you heard our conversations with: Farid Dardashti, Michelle Dardashti, Roni Sarig, Raquel Sarig, Evan Mateen, Tarlan Rabizadeh, and Lior Sternfeld.

Thank you to our sponsors:

-Jewish Writers’ Initiative Digital Storytellers Lab / Maimonides Fund

-Common Era

-Younes and Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation

-The Himan Brown Charitable Trust

-Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

-UCLA Mickey Katz Endowed Chair in Jewish Music

-Be’chol Lashon (fiscal sponsor)

Dedication: This is for you Dadders!!! We love you (and Mommy) so much!!!! xox

We are so grateful for: our extraordinary husbands, Roni Sarig and Mason Weisz, who have contributed in countless ways big and small; Danielle’s amazing kids, Uri Dardashti Sarig and Raquel Dardashti Sarig, who lent their talents in story editing, sound capture, episode cover art design, and more; and Galeet’s kids -Yaniv and Adin–for being such incredible humans.

There are so many people we want to thank for their love, guidance, support, and inspiration on this project: Houri & Younes Dardashti, Millie & Louie Heifetz, Yadid Dardashti, Shahnaze Dardashti, Hamid Dardashti, Louise Motevassel, David Dardashti, Oren Motevassel, Niloo Dardashti, Schelly Dardashti, Jina Aziz-Zadeh, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, Dawne Bear Novicoff, Vicki Compter Lefkowitz, Jeni Friedman, Rebecca Friedman, Rebecca Guber, Debbie Kolben, Ami Eden, Caleb Guedes Reed, Sharon Nazarian, Jessamyn Rodriguez, Yonah Schiller, Richard Kay, Mark Kligman, Sarah Lefton, Janine Okmin, Arielle Nissenblatt, Ilana Nevins, Lauren Passell, Habib Partow, Alan Niku, Ruth Abusch-Magder, Julian Voloj, Melina Rosenberg, Houman Sarshar, Edwin Seroussi, Laura Younai, Rachel Nazarian Ehsagpour, Mohsen Mohammadi, Manucher Bibiyan, Haideh Herbert, Homa Sarshar, Shahla Javdan, Lili Keypour, Nahid Pirnazar, Hasan Sarbakhshian, Sierra Ulrich, David Shofet, Sarah Benor and Hadas Bram.

Intro credits read by: Michelle Dardashti

Cover art design: Ghulam Nabi

Assistants: Courtney Cunningham & Jessica DeWeese

Marketing / PR:  Tink

Distributed by PRX, the Public Media Exchange


There's a story that's been waiting to be told for decades, a family mystery wrapped in the rich musical traditions of a homeland left behind. The Nightingale of Iran is a journey into that past, guided by the granddaughters of a legend. In mid-century Iran, their grandfather, Younes Dardashti, a deeply religious Jewish man, achieved the unimaginable: his voice, singing classical Persian music, captivated a nation, making him a celebrity who performed for the Shah. His son, Farid, followed, becoming a teen idol on national television. Both were adored by a largely Muslim public. Yet, at the pinnacle of their fame, the family made a sudden and permanent exit. Hosts Danielle and Galeet Dardashti have spent their lives wondering why. This podcast is their search for an answer. Through intimate family interviews, archival recordings of those iconic performances, and conversations with historians and musicians, they piece together a portrait of a vibrant, complex Jewish life in Iran that flourished before the revolution. It’s an exploration of identity, legacy, and the powerful cultural threads that connect music, history, and spirituality. Listening feels like uncovering a hidden chapter, one where personal narrative intersects with sweeping historical change, all carried on the melody of a haunting, beautiful song.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 19

The Nightingale of Iran
Podcast Episodes
Bonus #12 - Family History Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:15
Danielle and Galeet were interviewed by Andrew Martin, the UK-based host of The Family Histories Podcast, a positive, conversational, fun show about family history and family historians – the often un-sung heroes tireles…
Bonus #11 - B'nai Jeshurun - 3 sisters! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:16
Danielle & Galeet have created a live show and they’ve taken the show on the road to several cities around the world!Performances include: A multimedia presentation telling the poignant story of The Nightingale of Iran A…
Bonus #10 - Persian Girl Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:22
Danielle and Galeet joined Millie Efraim on Persian Girl Podcast to discuss the tapes their family recoreded starting from the 1950s that were used throughout the Nightingale of Iran series, the reception of their podcas…
Bonus #9 - Jews on Film [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:24
Danielle Dardashti, co-creator of The Nightingale of Iran, guests on podcast "Jews on Film.” Danielle is interviewed by hosts Daniel Zana and Harry Ottensoser, discussing the 2007 animated film "Persepolis," co-directed…
Bonus #8 - JBS Spotlight [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:09
Danielle and Galeet joined Abigail Pogrebin on JBS's In the Spotlight to discuss their documentary podcast series The Nightingale of Iran, in which they reveal painful secrets and explore why their family left Iran in th…
Bonus #7 - Moment Live! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:20
This is a conversation Danielle and Galeet had with Moment Magazine Deputy Editor, Jennifer Bardi, about their search for the truth and what they discovered about their family along the way.
Bonus #6 - New Sounds WNYC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:30
This is an interview Galeet did with John Schaefer on New Sounds on WNYC, about her album Monajat, where she sings with samples of her late grandfather Younes Dardashti, The Nightingsle of Iran. Galeet shares selections…
Bonus #5 - LA Launch - IKAR [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:37
IKAR synagogue, Los Angeles, California. Kabbalat Shabbat post-dinner discussion with Danielle and Galeet Dardashti, about The Nightingale of Iran, moderated by Jewish Telegraphic Agency reporter Asaf Elia-Shalev. Introd…
Bonus #4 - NY Launch - Bet Am [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:26
One of the first events to celebrate the release of The Nightingale of Iran was with Danielle and Galeet's home town crowd, at Bet Am Shalom Synagogue in New York on March 19, 2024. The conversation was moderated by Phil…
Bonus #3 - Reclaiming Identity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:59
Danielle and Galeet speak with Drora and Dalya on this episode of the Reclaiming Identity podcast. They discuss growing up un-Persian, discovering their family’s story, and the personal impact of The Nightingale of Iran…