In collaboration with Jewish Currents, Vaybertaytsh is pleased to present a special English episode with artist and podcast producer Sharon Mashihi.

An Iranian Jew from Great Neck, NY, Mashihi places her new audio series, Appearances, at “6 out of 10 on the truth spectrum.” The protagonist of the series is a lightly fictionalized version of Mashihi named Melanie, who wrestles with questions drawn from her creator’s life: whether to have a baby as a single mother or with her non-Jewish, non-Iranian, much older boyfriend; and how to build a family that both reflects and departs from the struggles she witnessed growing up in an immigrant household. 

Mashihi and I spoke about immigrant families, Jewish and Iranian identity, Great Neck, and the ethical quandary of making art from your life without hurting the ones you love. Mashihi’s work on The Heart was a major inspiration for me when I began making Vaybertaytsh. I was thrilled to get a chance to meet and talk with her.

Appearances produced by Mermaid Palace and Radiotopia,

You can check out a shortened text version of this interview at Jewish Currents here.

Click for more information on Sharon’s work.

———

A note for our Yiddish listeners:

אין דער עפּיזאָד רעד איך מיט מאַשיהי װעגן איר באַציִונג צו ייִדישקײַט, משפּחה, און שפּראַך. אין דער אמתן, האָט אונדזער שמועס כּמעט גאָרנישט צו טאָן מיט ייִדיש. אָבער עס האָט יאָ אַ שײַכות מיט דער געשיכטע פֿון װײַבערטײַטש: אָן איר פֿריִערדיקע אַרבעט אין פּאָדקאַסטערײַ, װײס איך נישט צי װײַבערטײַטש װאָלט עקסעסטירט, אַזאַ גרױסע ראַדיאָ־העלד איז מאַשיהי פֿאַר מיר. זאָרג זיך נישט, אָבער: נײע ייִדיש־שפּראַכיקע עפּיזאָדן װעלן באַלד אַרױסקומען!