Farideh Dayanim Goldin is a writer, educator, and storyteller whose work bridges cultures, histories, and generations. Born in 1953 in Shiraz, Iran, into a family of dayanim—judges and leaders of the Jewish community—she grew up navigating the complexities of tradition and modernity.
At eight years old, her family moved from the Jewish quarter to a Muslim neighborhood, an experience that exposed her to both friendship and prejudice, shaping the themes she would later explore in her writing.
Farideh's journey carried her from Pahlavi University (Shiraz University) in Iran, where she studied English literature, to the United States, where she earned graduate degrees in Humanities and Women's Studies, Creative Nonfiction, and Journalism.
She is the author of two memoirs. Wedding Song: Memoirs of an Iranian Jewish Woman (Brandeis University Press, 2003) reflects on her struggle to reconcile her Iranian Jewish heritage with the pull of Western ideals. Leaving Iran: Between Migration and Exile (AU Press, 2015) chronicles her immigration to the United States and her father's difficult path out of Iran.
In addition to her books, Farideh has published essays and scholarship on Iranian Jewish women writers and the influence of Persian traditions and language on women's life narratives.
Farideh is the former director of the Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding at Old Dominion University, where she also taught literature and creative writing. Today, she continues to write, speak, and share stories that illuminate identity, exile, memory, and resilience.