Flames Of Freedom: A Historical Docudrama About Persecution & Courage

Flames of Freedom is a docudrama podcast chronicling how forty-two courageous Jews risked their lives in 1733 to cross the Atlantic Ocean, hoping to settle in the American colony of Georgia.

The podcast essentially multi-tasks this historical tale of courage through the audio dramatic retelling, a script that enables you to read along with the show, and episodes with bonus content with world-renowned scholars, authors, and historians engaged in a fireside discussion about the Jewish quest for survival and religious freedom in the centuries leading up to the early 18th Century when our
story begins.

I am happy to report that the show excels at all levels. The audio docudrama is lovingly and lavishly produced, with superb voice actors and a script that amps up the drama and ramps up our empathy for those persecuted.

The podcast details the untold history of the Jewish escape
from European oppression to Georgia in 1733. It has two components: Season One’s 12-episode dramatic series with bonus interviews dispersed between dramatic episodes. The podcast will be available on all major podcasting platforms and YouTube.

Flames of Freedom sets a new standard for historical podcast production values with its ensemble cast of professional actors from around the world, robust sound design, and original music, creating an unparalleled immersive experience for listeners.

Flames of Freedom chronicles the saga of forty-two courageous Jews who risked their lives in 1733 to cross the Atlantic Ocean, hoping to settle in the American colony of Georgia. They were fleeing the Portuguese Inquisition, murderous pogroms of Eastern Europe, and
antisemitism in England to build a future with religious freedom and economic opportunity.

They gambled with their lives and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on the slim chance they would be allowed to settle in the new American colony of Georgia to be founded by James Oglethorpe. Nothing about this journey from oppression to liberty was easy, nor was the
desired outcome certain. Given the Georgia Trustees’ blatant objections to Jews settling in the new colony, the possibility that Oglethorpe would reverse course and accept them seemed
nearly impossible.

The podcast is produced by Lance Toland Entertainment, which declares that is dedicated to exploring and producing hidden and forgotten stories from Sefarad, highlighting the heroic tales of those who escaped the Inquisition and European persecution to help found the United States of America.

A key partner is the Jewish Heritage Alliance (JHA), which is an academically driven cultural and historical nonprofit dedicated to researching, preserving, and promoting the legacy of Sefarad, the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula. 

The podcast is an audio docudrama with lush, multi-layered sound design, and superb voice actors.

For example, Angelines Santaňa, who plays Zipporah,

started her acting career at the tender age of 4 in her native country of Mexico. She has been working with her voice since age seven, and has been dubbing movies from English to Spanish since age 11. Working with her voice has allowed her to voice innumerable roles, advertising campaigns on radio and TV, toys, encyclopedias, e-learning products, phone operator VM, museum-guided tours, and pretty much whatever requires a professional voice. And now, Angie is loving the wonderful world of podcasts.

Producer and Director Mark Simon founded an Atlanta-based production company, Fizz City Films, in 1998 and has since produced thousands of TV commercials and radio spots over the last 20+ years. He is a skilled producer, director, and director of photography. He was the DP on two independent films- Blind Trust and Let’s Make It. Mark’s career has endured over 30 feature films and a dozen television shows that have striped the American landscape — Spinal Tap, Risky Business, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Dick Tracy, In the Line of Fire, and thirtysomething.

The writer, Richard Stone, has been writing fiction and non-fiction for the past forty years. Books and other writing include Story Intelligence co-written with Scott Livengood, The Healing Art of Storytelling, Stories: The Family Legacy, The Kingdom of Nowt, On the Spot – A Feature Length Romantic Comedy co-written with Syd and Enid Jackowitz, Sprinkles – A Sitcom co-written with Syd and Enid Jackowitz, The Maggid – A Feature Length Film which Rick has also developed into a one-man performance piece, and two children's books awaiting publication: It Can Be Almost Anything and The Fairytale Factory. 

Ian Russell who played James Oglethorpe has won Four One Voice Awards for performances in Videogames (2021 & 2023) and Animation (2020) and the prestigious Voice of the Year award in 2020. He was also presented with the 2022 Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Audio Description for his work with the Hans Holbein exhibition at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.  

Barry Stoltze studied with the likes of Nina Foch and Group Rep Theatre Artistic Director Lonnie Chapman, doing on-camera, voiceover, stage, and stand-up before heading to Georgia, where he has worked in the Entertainment Industry for over 40 years.

 In addition to performing on many of the major stages in Atlanta, he can be heard on hundreds of commercials and videos with Southern clients as varied as Georgia Power and The Georgia Lottery, as well as national brands like Coca-Cola, ElderPlan, and BevMo.

Amazingly, Stoltze plays over 20 characters in the audio docudrama.

Here's a summary of the plot:

 They were fleeing the Portuguese Inquisition, murderous pogroms of Eastern Europe, and antisemitism in England to build a future with religious freedom and economic opportunity. They gambled with
their lives and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on the slim chance they would be allowed to settle in the new American colony of Georgia to be founded by James Oglethorpe. Nothing about this journey from oppression to liberty was easy, nor was the desired outcome certain. Given the Georgia Trustees’ blatant objections to Jews settling in the new colony, the possibility that Oglethorpe would reverse course and accept them seemed nearly impossible. But an unforeseen
epidemic threatening to wipe out the budding colony would completely change that calculus.

In the first episode, we are introduced to Dr. Diogo Nunes Ribeiro and his wife Gracia, who had been arrested in 1703 by the Portuguese Inquisition for Judaizing—secretly practicing Judaism in the privacy of their homes. They were tortured until they admitted their failings and were left to rebuild their lives from the rubble of what was left of their home and reputations. In the subsequent two episodes, we follow their reemergence into Portuguese society as the doctor rebuilds his medical practice.

By 1726, he had become the physician to the Inquisitor General and the King of Portugal, but the entire family was once again reported for aiding Conversos to escape to England (Jews who had been forcibly converted to Catholicism in 1497). How Diogo engineers his family’s release and subsequent escape from the clutches of the Inquisition to England becomes the topic of subsequent episodes.

Below is a listener review that perfectly encapsulates

 

 

Flames of Freedom is a tour de force as an audio docudrama. It's powerful, painful because of the persecution, and easy to lose yourself in the music, voice acting, historical tension, and suffering felt by the characters.