Logo for The Nightingale of Iran

The Nightingale of Iran

Danielle Dardashti, Galeet Dardashti

It was a golden age for Jews in Iran. In the 1950s, a religious Jew – Younes Dardashti – became a national celebrity, singing at the Shah’s palace and on the radio. In the 1960s, his son Farid became a teen idol on TV. They were beloved by Iranian Muslims. But at the height of their fame, they left the country. It has always been a mystery to our host Danielle Dardashti and her sister Galeet – Why did their family leave Iran? Now, in a documentary podcast series, the sisters reveal painful secrets unspoken for generations. The Nightingale of Iran is a story that will resonate with outsiders everywhere.

2024 The Nightingale of Iran

It was a golden age for Jews in Iran. In the 1950s, a religious Jew – Younes Dardashti – became a national celebrity, singing at the Shah’s palace and on the radio. In the 1960s, his son Farid became a teen idol on TV. They were beloved by Iranian Muslims. But at the height of their fame, they left the country. It has always been a mystery to our host Danielle Dardashti and her sister Galeet – Why did their family leave Iran? Now, in a documentary podcast series, the sisters reveal painful secrets unspoken for generations. The Nightingale of Iran is a story that will resonate with outsiders everywhere.

2024 The Nightingale of Iran
10hr 50min
Thumbnail for "Trailer - The Nightingale of Iran".
Sisters Danielle Dardashti & Galeet Dardashti - a storyteller and an anthropologist - search for answers about their famous Persian Jewish family. Subscribe now to The Nightingale of Iran!
September 5, 20231min 59sec
Thumbnail for "Bonus #5 - Los Angeles Launch".
June 4, 202447min 37sec
Thumbnail for "Bonus #9 - Jews on Film".
July 30, 20241hr 13min
Thumbnail for "Bonus #8 - JBS Spotlight".
July 16, 202432min 9sec
Thumbnail for "Bonus #7 - Moment Live!".
July 2, 202451min 20sec
Thumbnail for "Bonus #6 - New Sounds ".
The Nightingale of Iran’s theme song, Melekh, comes from Galeet’s Persian album, Monajat - in which she riffs of old recordings of our grandfather, (The Nightingale of Iran) by sampling him and dueting with him in her new compositions. We wanted to share our favorite interview Galeet did on Monajat with WNYC’s John Schaefer from New Sounds!
June 18, 202457min 30sec
Thumbnail for "Bonus #4 - New York Launch".
May 21, 20241hr 10min
Thumbnail for "Bonus #3 - Reclaiming Identity".
May 7, 202443min 59sec
Thumbnail for "Bonus #2 - Can We Talk?".
April 9, 202429min 58sec
Thumbnail for "Bonus #1 - History Daily".
Done listening to all six episodes of “The Nightingale of Iran”? We picked out something else for you to listen to. It’s an episode of “History Daily” about the day in 1979 when the Shah fled the Iranian Revolution.
March 26, 202419min 42sec
Thumbnail for "Episode 1 - The Time Machine".
Danielle and Galeet grew up in a family band. They sang in 12 languages, but not Persian. This seems odd since their father and grandfather were famous Iranian singers. Then, they make a discovery.
February 6, 202433min 17sec
Thumbnail for "Episode 2 - Singing in the Dark".
Younes Dardashti was an orphan in Tehran's Jewish ghetto with a gorgeous singing voice. His abusive uncle forbade him from singing. But one day while singing in the dark, his whole life changed.
February 13, 202438min 48sec
Thumbnail for "Episode 3 - The Tehran Teen Idol".
Farid Dardashti was born in Tehran in 1942. He had a gorgeous voice, and became a teen idol with a weekly music show on Iranian TV. But after six months, he left the country. This didn’t make sense to Danielle and Galeet. But they were missing a big piece of the story.
February 20, 202436min 51sec
Thumbnail for "Episode 4 - Ashkenormalization".
On his way from Iran to America for college, Farid spent the summer in Israel. A man recognized him from Iranian TV and invited him to sing at an event. A family of visiting Americans heard him sing, and it changed the course of his entire life.
February 27, 202433min 22sec
Thumbnail for "Episode 5 - Savta’s Dream".
Houri Dardashti had long dreamed of moving to Israel from Iran. But when she and her radio star husband Younes made the move, he felt like an outsider there. For a decade, he flew back to Iran to sing on the radio. But after the Islamic Revolution, Younes could never return and was erased from Iranian history.
March 5, 202436min 48sec
Thumbnail for "Episode 6 - Where I am From".
Growing up, Danielle didn’t know many families like hers in mainstream Jewish America. These days, there’s growing awareness about the diversity of the Jewish experience.
March 12, 202442min 36sec

Bonus #5 - Los Angeles Launch

Thumbnail for "Bonus #5 - Los Angeles Launch".
June 4, 202447min 37sec

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. Introductions by Rabbi Morris Panitz.

Thank you to Rabbi Sharon Brous for inviting us!

Thumbnail for "Bonus #5 - Los Angeles Launch".
Bonus #5 - Los Angeles Launch
00:00
47:37