Shows
Flames of FreedomThe New ZionIn 2024 Season One of Flames of Freedom was nominated for a Webby award for best historical podcast. In Season Two, we continue the saga of the Nunes family when they arrive on the shores of what is now Savannah, and James Oglethorpe is faced with a dilemma. The Colony was suffering from an epidemic that had killed their doctor and twenty other settlers, and half the Colony was deathly ill. And here he was confronted with a Jewish doctor who could save the Colony, but the Georgia Trustees had emphatically delcared they didn't want Jews in Georgia, Oglethorpe's decision would...
2025-11-091h 06
Scott Slade's GeorgiaA Forgotten Jewish Connection to Georgia's HistoryPassover begins this weekend for Georgia Jews. And that opens the door to something you probably don't know about Georgia history. This week, Scott's speaking to Lance Toland, the executive producer of the Flames of Freedom Podcast project. Hear how Jewish refugees seeking liberty in the American South wound up changing the course of history. Dr. Samuel Nunez offers James Oglethorpe a way to save the new colony of Georgia from an epidemic of Yellow Fever. The Flames of Freedom Podcast has been nominated for an international Webby Award in the history category; voting continues through April 12.
2025-04-1003 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: The Team Behind the ScenesSeason 1 wrap-up. A look behind the scenes with interviews of the series creators: Executive Producer, Lance Tōland / Writer, Rick Stone / Producer-Director, Mark Simon / Audio Editor, Composer & Sound Designer, Dave Wilson / and a few of the Cast Members: Ian Russell (James Oglethorpe & multiple character voices) / Juan-Pablo Gamboa, (Dr. Diogo Nunes) / Jamie Treselyan (young-Benjamin Philips & multiple character voices) / Angelines Santaňa (Zipporah Nunez Mechado Jacobs) / Francois Clemenceau, The Grand Inquisitor, Daniel & multiple character voices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-12-0448 min
Flames of FreedomFlames of Freedom: Journey's EndWhile they await the repairs on their ship, the Jews disembark and learn invaluable lessons about surviving in the American wilderness. While they labor away, Oglethorpe is faced with growing dissension among his settlers around issues of slavery and drinking rum and then faces an even bigger challenge as an epidemic threatens to wipe out the entire colony. When Samuel Nunes and the Jews finally arrive, Oglethorpe is faced with a major dilemma: accede to the verbal wishes of the Trustees to exclude Jews from the Colony or enlist the assistance of Dr. Nunes to fight the raging epidemic...
2024-12-0332 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Michael Thurmond, Part II Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-11-2821 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Eleven: Precarious TimesDivisions begin to appear among the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews on their journey to America, while James Oglethorpe, with the help of Colonel Bull, selects Yamacraw Bluff for the new settlement. Oglethorpe also meets Mary Musgrove, a woman of English and Indian descent who is an invaluable partner in the years ahead as Oglethorpe navigates relations with the neighboring Creek Indians. The ship carrying the Jews faces its most trying challenge yet as severe storms threaten to crash it on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...
2024-11-2628 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Michael Thurmond Part IMichael Thurmond, the chief executive officer of DeKalb County, Georgia, is the author of James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia, Freedom: Georgia’s Antislavery Heritage, 1733–1865, and A Story Untold: Black Men and Women in Athens History. Thurmond explores the foundation of the Georgia Colony and Oglethorpe’s increasing resistance to the institution of slavery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-11-2128 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Ten: Dark Night of the SoulSamuel Nunes agrees to lead the Jewish settlers to the Georgia Colony, and they depart some weeks after Oglethorpe on a ship requisitioned and paid for by London’s wealthiest Jews. But the ship encounters turbulent weather, an omen for what will be a nearly disastrous journey across the Atlantic Ocean, foreshadowing the loss of life. While they faced horrendous trials at sea, Oglethorpe and his settlers arrived safely at Charles Town, South Carolina, in January 1733. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-11-1933 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Dr. Diego Lucci Part IIDr. Lucci explores the roots of antisemitism in early Christian thought and looks at how John Toland's writings completely changed the conversation around the equality of Jews in English and European culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-11-1428 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Nine: Promise of a New BeginningDaniel and Moses become enamored with the idea of a clean start in America, an idea that their father, Samuel, rejects out of hand. When King George approves the new colony, the Trustees are faced with a thorny dilemma—what to do with the efforts of the richest Jews of England to send their fellow Jews to Georgia? Their debate and subsequent decision have unexpected consequences that will echo throughout the history of the fledgling colony even after Oglethorpe departs for America in November 1732 with 120 adventurous souls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...
2024-11-1241 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Dr. Diego Lucci, Part IDr. Diego Lucci is a professor at the American University in Bulgaria and has previously been a research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London and the Maimonides Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Hamburg. His book on the Enlightenment debate on Jewish emancipation is essential to studying Jewish-Gentile relations in 18th-century Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-11-0730 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Eight: Winds of ChangeJames Oglethorpe sets out to win parliamentary approval to change the laws related to the incarceration of people for the mere crime of owing someone money. This move leads to his pursuit of an idealistic dream of creating a colony where the poor can have a fresh start and where slavery is prohibited. Oglethorpe’s dream becomes the perfect vehicle for the wealthy Jews of London to solve a problem of their own—ever-escalating charitable support for the growing number of refugees showing up on the doorsteps of Bevis Marks Synagogue. Hosted on Acast. See acast...
2024-11-0532 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Dr. Jessica Roitman Part IIDr. Roitman delves into the growing role of Jews in trade in Europe and the Caribbean and explores how economic pressures on the Jewish community of Amsterdam drove many Jews to depart, seeking their fortunes in the New World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-10-3124 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Seven: Troubled TimesMoses’s arrest for a gambling debt leads to his incarceration in Marshalsea Prison. Samuel’s quest to free him results in two significant encounters—one with Antony da Costa, one of the wealthiest Jews in England, and one with James Oglethorpe, who discovers that his best friend has died in the same prison after being thrown into a cell with forty other prisoners with smallpox. Both meetings foreshadow significant turns in the lives of all concerned. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-10-2925 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Dr. Jessica Roitman - Part IDr. Jessica Roitman is a Professor of Jewish Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She is a historian of early modern and modern Jewish History, and her research focuses on Jews and Jewish communities in the (Dutch) Caribbean. In this episode, Dr. Roitman explores the dynamics of the growing Amsterdam Jewish community in the 16th Century as New Christians, also known as Conversos, began finding refuge there and reverting to Judaism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-10-2432 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Six: Darkening CloudsSamuel confronts the hard reality that his medical skills and reputation mean little within London’s physician community and is forced to open a practice serving mainly indigent refugees. Daniel and Moses continue to struggle to find meaningful employment, and tragedy strikes when Rebekah goes into labor prematurely, leading to a crisis in her commitment to the Jewish faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-10-2223 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Dr. Ariel Hessayon, Part IIDr. Hessayon explores the economic, social, and religious forces that led to Oliver Cromwell's re-admitting Jews to England in 1656 and the dynamic political forces that followed his death and King Charles II’s taking back the throne, all of which could have easily led to a second expulsion of the Jews from England. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-10-1729 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Five: WanderingAs Samuel’s sons Moses and Daniel confront the ugly face of antisemitism that is rife throughout English society, Gracia, who adopts the Jewish name Rebekah, confronts the fact that Orthodox Judaism makes her feel like a second-class citizen. The men must confront another stark reality. To become fully recognized as Jews, they must be circumcised. To complicate their lives, Rebekah, who is now in her fifties, announces that she is pregnant, offering a moment of hope that proves to be tenuous at best. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-10-1526 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Dr. Ariel Hessayon, Part IDr. Ariel Hessayon is an early modern historian who is a faculty member at Goldsmiths, University of London. Dr. Hessayon discusses the increasing number of pogroms directed against the Jews before their expulsion from England in 1290, traces the history of the Jews in England up to and after their expulsion, and details the events that led to their absence from England for over 350 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-10-1025 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Four: Lost in the WildernessAfter the family’s daring escape from Lisbon aboard a British frigate, they face a host of unknowns upon their arrival in London. They have fallen from the pinnacle of society to become indigent. Not only are they facing economic ruin, but they must now face the gap between their expectations of what it means to revert to Judaism and leave the strictures of Catholicism behind and the reality of assimilating into a faith that is foreign and filled with its own set of dogmas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-10-0834 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Dr. Eliezer Papo, Part IIIDr. Eliezer Papo is a senior lecturer of Hebrew Literature at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva, Israel. He serves as Chairman of the Moshe David Gaon Center for Ladino Culture and is the chief editor of El Prezente – Journal for Sephardic Studies. We concluded the last episode by discussing the distinctions between Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish traditions. This highlights an exciting development in our story of Samuel and Rebekah Nunes, formerly known in Portugal as Diogo and Gracia Nunez. We have two noteworthy things that transpired in our story. One is an...
2024-10-0334 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Three: ExodusWith the family’s rearrest on charges of Judaizing and aiding other Conversos to escape, Diogo confronts the Inquisitor General, who is also his patient. The Inquisitor General is faced with a dilemma—he needs Diogo’s medical care and can’t afford to jail him, but his reputation is also on the line if word gets out that he is being too lenient with apostates. His solution is to place two Inquisition priests in Diogo’s home to keep an eye on his every move. Gracia implores Diogo to find a path forward for this dilemma, even if it means find...
2024-10-0141 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Dr. Eliezer Papo, Part IIOur guest today is Dr. Eliezer Papo, who is senior lecturer of Hebrew Literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva, Israel. He serves as Chairman of the Moshe David Gaon Center for Ladino Culture and is the chief editor of El Prezente – Journal for Sephardic Studies. In the previous segment of our interview with Dr. Papo, we explored several issues related to the world of the Jews of Sefarad, and the many who converted and remained living in Spain and Portugal as Conversos, or as they were referred to at that time, New Christians. We conc...
2024-09-2624 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode Two: ExileBeginning with the ruination of Diogo Nunes’s reputation after losing all of his possessions when he and his wife were arrested by the Portuguese Inquisition and tortured in 1703 for Judaizing, we trace the slow rehabilitation of his career culminating in his appointment as the physician to the new Inquisitor General as well as Portugal’s king, a position that Diogo uses to his advantage to assist other Conversos to escape the grip of the Portuguese Inquisition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-09-2426 min
Flames of FreedomREVEALED: Dr. Eliezer Papo - Part IIn today’s episode, we start with part 1 of a 3-part conversation with Dr. Eliezer Papo, senior lecturer of Hebrew Literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva, Israel. He serves as Chairman of the Moshe David Gaon Center for Ladino Culture and is the chief editor of El Prezente – Journal for Sephardic Studies. In this first episode, Dr. Papo unravels the story of the Jews in the period leading up to the expulsion of the Jews in Spain in 1492 and the advent of the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions, which attempted to suppress Jewish practices even after Jews r...
2024-09-1941 min
Flames of FreedomEpisode One: Narrow PlacesThe story opens in 1790 as Zipporah Jacobs, the daughter of Samuel Nunes, feels called to share with her grandson, Benjamin Phillips, the tale of her ancestors as they traversed a world hellbent on eradicating Jews from Spain and Portugal, the forced conversions of her ancestors in 1497 in Lisbon, and her parents’ torture by the Inquisition for the crime of Judaizing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-09-1732 min
Flames of FreedomFlames of Freedom TrailerFlames of Freedom is a podcast that tells the incredible story of a Jewish family's journey to Savannah, Georgia, to escape oppression in Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-09-1004 min
Nerd Party NewsAmazon Buys MGM, Trailer Round-Up (NPN May 31)Lance and Mike discuss the sale of MGM to Amazon, new trailers for The Sparks Brothers, Last Night in Soho, Infinite, The Tomorrow War, Gunpowder Milkshake, Old, Jungle Cruise and Eternals, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven the Hunter, Disney+’s Okoye series, Dwayne Johnson as Krypto in League of Super-Pets, Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam, Lee Toland Krieger directing Green Lantern, Henry Cavill in Highlander, and Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic getting shelved.
2021-06-0341 min
Nerd Party NewsAmazon Buys MGM, Trailer Round-Up (NPN May 31)Lance and Mike discuss the sale of MGM to Amazon, new trailers for The Sparks Brothers, Last Night in Soho, Infinite, The Tomorrow War, Gunpowder Milkshake, Old, Jungle Cruise and Eternals, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven the Hunter, Disney+’s Okoye series, Dwayne Johnson as Krypto in League of Super-Pets, Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam, Lee Toland Krieger directing Green Lantern, Henry Cavill in Highlander, and Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic getting shelved.
2021-06-0341 min
I WANT YOU TO WATCH THIS#69: Celeste and Jesse ForeverFriend of show, Lance, brings us this fantastic romantic comedy from a few years back. Written by and starring the fantastic Rashida Jones. Oof! this is a GREAT movie!! Soo many emotions and MUCH to talk about! Join us!
Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012)
Directed by: Lee Toland Krieger
Written by: Rashida Jones and Will McCormack
Starring: Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg and Elijah Wood
********SPOILERS*******
*******EXPLICIT**********
Follow us on Twitter @IWYTWT
Dennis @TheDBux
Craig @Catharticus
Cullen @CullenMunch
Lance @lmo678
Like what you hear? Tell a friend about us! Write a review on iTunes!
2018-04-1956 min