Tannaz Sassooni’s Diaspora Jukebox Playlist

An Iranian Jewish Mishmash That’ll Make You Gher

As part of Zócalo Public Square’s 20th birthday, we’re sharing the sounds of the Southland with “Diaspora Jukebox,” a series of playlists that celebrate the unique communities and musical traditions that represent Los Angeles. Our fourth Diaspora Jukebox playlist features songs from food writer Tannaz Sassooni’s Los Angeles Iranian Jewish world, from classic banquet hall jams to a contemporary ballad of freedom.

In 1979, as Iran was in the throes of a violent revolution, my mom, my sister, and I came to the U.S. on a …

by Tannaz Sassooni | November 8, 2023

Women’s Movements Can Save the World—by Learning From Each Other

After Many Years of Tilling the Soil, Transnational Feminist Movements Have Growing Momentum

by Jackie Mansky | March 9, 2021

Can transnational women’s movements save the world?

That was the title question posed, on International Women’s Day, to two Arizona State University experts on women’s leadership at a Zócalo/ASU Center on …

Punished by the U.S. and Persecuted by Iran

Iranian Americans Have Thrived Since Fleeing the Revolution, but Their Freedoms Are Now Restricted

By Saba Soomekh | August 8, 2017

Ever since the Iranian Revolution of 1978-79, Iranian American immigrants, including the large number of us living here in Los Angeles, have been personally feeling the effects of the rising …

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Persian Food

My Iranian Mother Wanted Me to Cook Recipes from the Motherland. I Wanted to Be Independent.

by Orly Minazad | January 6, 2015

My cavalier cooking practices have been a cause for shame and concern for my Iranian mother. To me, eating is just something you do to stay alive; for her and …

Iranian-American