Shows
The Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #10 — Ace of SwordsThe witches are called to the Beryllium Palace to help investigate the sudden and suspicious death of the aging King Abgani, but unexpected dangers await even in the royal court... ** This episode marks the end of Act 1 of The Witches of Wederra Keep, a narrative break. The show will return in a few weeks. ** The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the ta...2025-05-1332 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #9 — Two of PentaclesThe coven reaches into their purses only to find them empty, as their pursuits have drained their coffers. Minerva faces her own past to find her way forward... The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will run for 29 audio rich and immersive episodes averaging around 25 minutes each...2025-04-2925 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #8 — Nine of WandsCharley courts danger as she delves deep into the dreams of Lorelei, the fallen goddess of the sea... The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will run for 29 audio rich and immersive episodes averaging around 25 minutes each, for a full runtime of around 12-13 hours, similar to an...2025-04-1512 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #7 — Prince of SwordsCharley faces suspicion and distrust from the people of the village as children throw stones at her. Can the coven find balance with their neighbors...? The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will run for 29 audio rich and immersive episodes averaging around 25 minutes each, for a full r...2025-04-0130 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #6 — Prince of WandsCirce dreams of the jungles of her childhood in the south and the magic of beasts and violence. A spirit calls out to her, offering great and terrible power... The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will run for 29 audio rich and immersive episodes averaging around 25 minut...2025-03-1828 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #5 — Nine of PentaclesDown at the village tavern, Circe learns of a mysterious and serious affliction that seems to be affecting men who drink a certain type of liquor, and the witches set to making it right... The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will run for 29 audio rich and i...2025-03-0429 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #4 — Two of CupsMinerva’s injury seeps into the daily life of Wederra Fortress, exposing cracks in the coven as an argument erupts in the library leading to withheld secrets… The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will run for 29 richly designed and immersive episodes averaging around 25 minutes each, for a...2025-02-1827 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #3 — Ten of WandsAfter the forest confrontation, Minerva seeks information in a foreboding cave at the edge of the underworld and encounters someone eerily familiar… The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will run for 29 audio rich and immersive episodes averaging around 25 minutes each, for a full runtime of aro...2025-02-1117 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #2 — Five of SwordsOn a normal outing in the depths of the dark Tennerwood forest to collect herbs and potion ingredients, the witches of Wederra Keep are approached by a suspicious group of people… The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will run for 29 richly and immersive episodes averaging aro...2025-02-0427 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep #1 — Three of SwordsThe three witches of Wederra Keep—Minerva, the Old Soul, Circe, the Wild Spirt and Charley, the Pure Heart—face the revelation that one of their dear friends may be betraying them to an age old foe... The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will run for 29 ric...2025-01-2840 min
Shofar, So Good!EPISODE 1: Shabbat, So Good!Growing up, many of my friends’ families had Shabbat dinners. It wasn’t a tradition in my house, but I’ve always liked the idea of slowing down and sharing a communal meal after a long week. But I’ve also found it incredibly daunting.
In this pilot episode, I call on two rabbis — one who considers Shabbat a slowing of time, and one who sees it an opening of space. Both explain their reasons for Shabbat, and help me understand mine.
Learn more about Rabbi Adam Naftalin-Kelman and Rabbi Marc Margolius.
Producer...2025-01-2228 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep — Sneak Peek TrailerA coven of three witches lives in Wederra Fortress, an old crumbling keep of two towers and a hall with stone walls around modest grounds high up on the Phalanx Cliffs, at the edge of the vast sea. The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will ru...2025-01-1507 minThe Witches of Wederra KeepThe Witches of Wederra Keep — IntroductionA coven of three witches lives in Wederra Fortress, an old crumbling keep of two towers and a hall with stone walls around modest grounds high up on the Phalanx Cliffs, at the edge of the vast sea. The Witches of Wederra Keep is an improvised novel length saga about a coven of three witches working to balance the mortal realm with the underworld while protecting their magic. It is an actual play of (and love letter to) the tabletop roleplaying game Wickedness by M Veselak and published by Possum Creek Games. This show will ru...2025-01-1403 min
The Nightingale of IranEpisode 6 - Where I am FromWhen 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...2024-03-1242 min
The Nightingale of IranEpisode 5 - Savta’s DreamHouri Dardashti, Danielle and Galeet’s grandmother, had long dreamed of moving to Israel from Iran. But life was improving for Jews in Iran, and her husband Younes had become a famous radio star there. So it seemed to her that the dream of moving to Israel wasn’t going to happen. But after Farid left Iran for college in America, one by one his siblings started leaving Iran for Israel. And eventually, Houri and Younes moved to Israel, too. But Younes, the Iranian star, felt like an outsider in Israel.
Co-creators / Co-executive producers - Danielle Dardashti and...2024-03-0536 min
The Nightingale of IranEpisode 4 - AshkenormalizationOn his way from Iran to America, where he planned to study architecture in college, Danielle and Galeet’s father Farid spent the summer in Israel. While walking down a Tel Aviv street one day, a man recognized him from Iranian TV and invited him to sing at an event that week. The night Farid sang, a family of visiting Americans heard him, and it changed the course of his entire life. Once he arrived in the United States, a new pursuit pulled Farid further and further away from his Iranian identity.
Co-creators / Co-executive producers - Danielle Da...2024-02-2733 min
The Nightingale of IranEpisode 3 - The Tehran Teen IdolDanielle and Galeet’s father, Farid Dardashti, was born in Tehran in 1942, the oldest of Houri and Younes Dardashti’s five children, all of whom had natural musical talent. Farid’s gorgeous voice kept earning him invitations to perform, but his parents didn’t want him to pursue music. To make them proud, he applied to study architecture in America. While waiting for his visa and acceptance to college, he got offered his own weekly show singing on Iranian TV. He quickly became a teen idol. But when his visa came through, he left the country as planned – and never once...2024-02-2036 min
The Nightingale of IranEpisode 2 - Singing in the DarkDanielle and Galeet's grandfather Younes Dardashti grew up an orphan in Tehran's Jewish ghetto. He was gifted with a gorgeous voice, but had a difficult childhood. He lived with an abusive uncle who forbade him from singing. In his late teens, he left his uncle's house, got a job with the Iranian Railroad and, years later, he married Houri Aziz-Zadeh. In the 1940s, life changed rapidly for the Jews of Iran - a new Shah granted equal rights to Jews, women, and other marginalized groups. Jews could move out of the ghetto into neighborhoods integrated with Muslims. One night...2024-02-1338 min
The Nightingale of IranEpisode 1 - The Time MachineSisters Danielle and Galeet Dardashti grew up in a Jewish American family band: The Dardashti Family. They sang international folk music in 12 languages – English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Greek, Spanish, French, Japanese and more – but never any songs in Persian. This seems odd to them since both their father and grandfather were famous Iranian singers during the “Golden Age” for Jews in Iran, before the Islamic Revolution. Danielle and Galeet make a discovery that takes them back in time, and helps them find answers to their questions about why their family left Iran and abandoned their Iranian identity.
Co-creat...2024-02-0633 min
The Nightingale of IranTrailer - The Nightingale of IranTheir grandfather was a famous singer known as The Nightingale of Iran. Their father was a Tehran teen idol. It’s always been a mystery to our host Danielle Dardashti (storyteller / documentarian) and her sister Galeet Dardashti (anthropologist / musician) : What drove their Persian Jewish family to leave Iran during a golden age for Jews, so long before the Islamic revolution? The Nightingale of Iran – a new audio documentary about identity, belonging, and music – reveals painful secrets unspoken for generations. The series will resonate with outsiders everywhere. Now available wherever you get your podcasts.
Co-creators / Co-executive producers - Daniel...2023-09-0501 min
The Jewish Divorce Project PodcastThe Jewish Divorce Project - Ep 53: Jewish Divorce and Discovery Retreat w/ Rabbi Deborah Newbrun + Rosh Hashanah Rituals for DivorceIn episode 53 Noam and Sheva talk with Rabbi Deborah Newborn who has created the innovative Divorce and Discovery retreat. It’s a weekend long experience for Jews and Jew-adjacent folks to process and find meaning in their divorce and separation. Along with her personal journey through divorce, we discuss the need for Jewish community-based divorce programming for families and individuals. We also talk about how Rosh Hashanah can be a great time to explore ones divorce journey and use the rituals involved to find meaning, grow, and move on from this major transition.
Deborah Newbrun's care...2022-09-1648 minThe Jewish Divorce Project PodcastThe Jewish Divorce Project - Ep 53: Jewish Divorce and Discovery Retreat w/ Rabbi Deborah Newbrun + Rosh Hashanah Rituals for DivorceIn episode 53 Noam and Sheva talk with Rabbi Deborah Newborn who has created the innovative Divorce and Discovery retreat. It’s a weekend long experience for Jews and Jew-adjacent folks to process and find meaning in their divorce and separation. Along with her personal journey through divorce, we discuss the need for Jewish community-based divorce programming for families and individuals. We also talk about how Rosh Hashanah can be a great time to explore ones divorce journey and use the rituals involved to find meaning, grow, and move on from this major transition.
Deborah Newbrun's care...2022-09-1648 min
Campfires and Color WarsEp. #87: Sarah LeftonSarah Lefton joins the podcast to talk about her experiences (good and bad) at summer camps throughout her childhood and adulthood, including the time she got left behind at an amusement park(!) and the time while working at camp she created the iconic "Yo Semite!" t-shirt. Don't waste a minute, take a listen.2022-03-0958 min
Therapists Next DoorEpisode 22: Wrestling, Spring Cleaning and Guest Carissa WebberLicensed professional counselors Johanna Dwinells and Sarah Bryski-Hamrick are slowly demystifying and destigmatizing therapy, one episode at a time. Recording and living in the Philadelphia area, Johanna and Sarah work to make therapy feel more accessible, with quirky, sometimes intrusive questions that reveal the human side of healthcare professionals, all while they overcome their own anxieties and internalized stigmas. TW: NoneEpisode summary: Johanna gets her dog ready for a baby. Sarah watches seasons worth of “Murdoch Mysteries”. They both discuss wrestling and the history of spring cleaning. Guest, Caris...2022-02-141h 30
OT Potential Podcast | Occupational Therapy CEUsStrengths-based OT for Ataxia TelangiectasiaI was reaching the end of this week’s article when my eyes suddenly flooded with tears.That’s because I encountered something we had not yet seen in the OT Potential Podcast: strengths-based recommendations. And I don't mean strength training. I mean focusing on our patients' strengths (rather than their impairments) and leveraging them so patients get the absolute most out of their care.This concept is especially important when you consider the patient population we examine this week: those with ataxia telangiectasia (A-T).We could easily focus on the disabilities of pati...2020-02-0910 min
Tablet StudiosThe Apology Episode: 5779 EditionThis week on Unorthodox, we're really, really sorry.We're marking the Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with our annual apology show. We're joined again this year by Tablet contributor Marjorie Ingall, who runs the website SorryWatch, which analyzes apologies in the news. She goes over the best and worst public apologies of 5778, and offers tips for how to make a meaningful apology.Storyteller Hal Karp tells of how, during a particularly dark period of his life, he goaded his brother into a fight that got him arrested—and how he ultimately re...2018-09-131h 19
Evolve#TrendingJewish 14: Thirteen Million MinutesBimBam, a nonprofit Jewish media studio, has created more than 350 animated video for children and adults. Youtube analytics reveal BimBam’s content has been viewed online for thirteen million minutes, or 24 years. BimBam’s founder, Sarah Lefton, and executive director, Jordan Gill, explain how they have sought to revolutionize Jewish education through digital storytelling and meaningful screen time. Sarah and Jordan explain how they approach funders and the challenge of cultivating for philanthropy in the media sphere. They also address criticisms that they might be adding to the “screentime problem” and encouraging people to skip the text. They also speak at...2018-06-1242 min
Media and Social Change PodcastEpisode 3 - Teaching Torah on YouTubeMASCLab's Kyle Oliver interviews Sarah Lefton, Jewish educator and founder of BimBam, about the art and science of teaching old wisdom on new media.
Sarah and Kyle talk about Christian readings of Hebrew texts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oktwIkRLZQ
Rough edit of Sarah and Kyle's full conversation:
https://soundcloud.com/kylematthewoliver/sarah-lefton-full-interview
You can read a transcript of this episode at https://bit.ly/masclab-ep3-script
Learn more about the Media and Social Change Lab at https://masclab.org2017-11-3012 min
Kyle Matthew OliverSarah Lefton - Full InterviewMy full interview with Sarah Lefton of BimBam (formerly G-dcast). Watch for a much shorter edited story, coming soon to the MASCLab Podcast: https://masclab.org/projects/2017-07-3142 min
Judaism UnboundEpisode 25: Unbundling JudaismDan and Lex close out a series of episodes entitled "Emergent Judaism," which featured Rachel Barenblat and David Markus (of ALEPH: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal), Noa Kushner and Yoav Schlesinger (of The Kitchen), and Sarah Lefton (of BimBam). We discuss what it means to look at Judaism through a "modular" lens, such that various elements of Judaism are "unbundled" from the whole.
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To access full shownotes for this episode, click...2016-08-0542 minJudaism UnboundEpisode 24: BimBam - Sarah LeftonWhat does it look like to start a Jewish organization that functions almost entirely in the digital world? Sarah Lefton, the founder and executive director of BimBam (formerly G-dcast), an organization that produces animated videos about Jewish texts, practices, and ideas, as well as apps and other new media, 1 joins Dan and Lex to give us a window into that process. She outlines her own Jewish story, the evolution of BimBam over time, some of the unique characteristics of digital forms of Judaism, and more.
If you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with...2016-07-2943 min