Invisible Histories

About Invisible Histories

Cari Simson and Elke Hautala formed Invisible Histories to visually and viscerally connect the public to experiences from the past. Their Invisible Histories podcast unearths diverse local stories and forgotten places. www.invisible-histories.com (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/www.invisible-histories.com) Read our latest newsletter! (https://us13.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=42c980a0dbfd3cb84095aad41&id=e57a29019e) Our Instagram account shares images from each episode, @invisiblehistoriesPNW (https://www.instagram.com/invisiblehistoriespnw) We are always looking for “invisible histories” of the Pacific NW so if you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com (mailto:invisiblehistories@gmail.com). Edited by Elke Hautala 2026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Cari Simson Elke Hautala

Category

history · society & culture · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Dec 2023

Latest episode

26 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

37 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Sept 2026

   Exploring Seattle's Sephardic Roots & Stories

   In this special episode of Invisible Histories, we explore the rich history, culture, and enduring legacy of Seattle's Sephardic Jewish community—the third-largest Sephardic population in the United States. Guests Cynthia Flash Hemphill (President of the Seattle Sephardic Network), Hannah Peters (Director at the Washington State Jewish Historical Society), and community members share personal narratives and historical insights. Guests: Stuart Eskenazi, Sephardic Seattle Tour guide with family ties to Seattle Al DeJaen, Sephardic Seattle Tour guide who grew up in the Central District Cynthia Flash Hemphill, President of the Seattle Sephardic Network Sylvia Azose Angel, octogenarian tri-athlete who grew up in the Central District Hannah Peters, Director of the WA Jewish Historical Society The episode shares: The historic migration of Sephardic Jews from the Mediterranean (Rhodes, Tekirdağ/Rodosto, Istanbul) to Seattle's Central District starting in 1902, and their subsequent displacement/migration to Seward Park and the Eastside of King County, WA. The distinct religious and social structures of Sephardic synagogues, redlining in Seattle, and solidarity/shared experiences with Black and Asian communities. Efforts to preserve Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), including classes at the University of Washington and the monthly "Los Ladinadas" meetup group. Traditional Sephardic culinary heritage, Mediterranean flavors, and community baking traditions. Personal family histories, including family research, community establishment in Seattle, and Sylvia Assos Angel's childhood memories on 21st and Yesler and empowerment through B'nai B'rith Girls. Upcoming Community Events & Projects: Seattle Sephardic Network: (https://www.seattlesephardicnetwork.org/) Cultural and historical programming for Sephardic Jews and allies. Take the Seattle Sephardic Network Tour! (https://www.seattlesephardicnetwork.org/seattle-sephardic-tour) It happens in the Central District, in the summer or as requested. Oct 11: Seattle Sephardic Network Fundraiser! (https://www.seattlesephardicnetwork.org/fundraiser) Catch comedian Ariel Elias live in South Lake Union for an evening of comedy, Sephardic music, and fun! Search "Ariel Elias in Seattle" on Eventbrite for tickets ($36+). Ariel Elias has been featured on Marvelous Ms. Maisel, Stephen Colbert & Jimmy Kimmel Live. Be sure to check out the amazing digital offerings online at the Washington State Jewish Historical Museum (https://www.wsjhs.org/museum) Washington State Jewish Historical Society (WSJHS) (https://www.wsjhs.org/page/shalom-sefarad): Digital museum, oral history archives, and upcoming interactive map project launching December 2026. UW Sephardic Studies Program (https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/sephardic-studies/): University of Washington Libraries Special Collections and Ladino language courses. Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle: Heritage tour to Greece and Rhodes (March 2027; registration closes November 2026). Dec 2026: WSJHS launches an interactive global map pinning 500+ locations from oral history transcripts. Subscribe, share, and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts! Support our work through Ko-fi.com. Credits: Episode recorded in Edmonds, WA Edited by Elke Hautala Music: Three songs by Isaac Azose (https://isaacazose.com/): La Roza Enflorese, Alta Alta es la Luna, and Mama Yo No Tengo Cover art design by Cari Simson; Image uses a portion of a Jewish marriage contract. Esther Benezra and David DeFunes. Ottoman Empire, 1888 (ST01600, courtesy Albert Maimon/Henry Benezra Collection), and photo of a Ladino theatre group that performed for Sephardic audiences at Washington Hall (1920) Courtesy of UW Special Collections. Cari Simson and Elke Hautala formed Invisible Histories to visually and viscerally connect the public to experiences from the past. Their Invisible Histories podcast unearths diverse local stories and forgotten places. (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/www.invisible-histories.com)www.invisible-histories.com (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/www.invisible-histories.com) Cari Simson and Elke Hautala formed Invisible Histories to visually and viscerally connect the public to experiences from the past. Their Invisible Histories podcast unearths diverse local stories and forgotten places. www.invisible-histories.com (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/www.invisible-histories.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Monorail! Monorail! Monorail!

   In part two of their monorail retrospective, hosts Cari Simson and Elke Hautala dive into the grassroots effort that nearly brought an expanded monorail system to Seattle. If you missed it, go back and listen to Part 1 to get the deep dive into Seattle Monorail politics and advocacy! In this episode, we are joined by former campaign staffer Michael Taylor-Judd, transit advocate Rodney Rutherford, and Seattle Department of Transportation staff Brian Dougherty. The episode explores the ground-level advocacy, creative campaign tactics, and complex local politics surrounding Seattle’s monorail movement. The second half of the episode was recorded in the field with Rodney and Brian at 1st Avenue South and South Lander Street, which would have been the Lander Monorail station across from the old Sears flagship location. We would love to hear from you about your own Seattle memories, so please email us (mailto:invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com?subject=Monorail%20Memories!&body=) or send a message through our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/invisiblehistoriespnw) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/invisiblehistoriespnw) Direct Messages. Images can be found at our social media: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/invisiblehistoriespnw) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/invisiblehistoriespnw), including the plans for the Monorail station in SODO! Topics: Grassroots Campaign Tactics: How volunteers used plastic-wrapped A-frame petition boards left on city sidewalks and carried a PVC-and-canvas monorail float on foot from Ballard to West Seattle. Unforgettable Fundraisers: The 4th of July monorail train rental where supporters watched fireworks over Elliott Bay and Lake Union while tilted on a curved track. Why the Monorail Failed: Financial shortfalls tied to car tab motor vehicle excise tax projections, procurement bidding hurdles, political pushback, and friction regarding automated driverless transit. Lasting Legacy: How campaign organizers handed over the Transit Riders Union (https://transitriders.org/) domain to future Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, and how monorail train designs created for Seattle eventually made their way to cities like Cairo, Egypt and São Paulo, Brazil. Links: Seattle Monorail Project Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Monorail_Project) For the Monorail: A 1997 Op-Ed by Walt Crowley (https://www.historylink.org/File/4297) Seattle Municipal Archives - Monorail documents: USCG final environmental impact statement for Seattle Monorail Project Green Line (https://archives.seattle.gov/digital-collections/index.php/Detail/objects/236856) and contains Appendix LL. Seattle monorail project / final staff recommendation for alignment and stations (https://archives.seattle.gov/digital-collections/index.php/Detail/objects/238084) and includes a small amount about the Lander station and other stations. The Monorail Society: Hall of Fame (https://www.monorails.org/tMspages/HallofFame.html) https://seattlechannel.org/videos?videoid=x28624 (https://seattlechannel.org/videos?videoid=x28624) Peter Dibble: How Seattle rejected the Monorail (youtube) (https://youtu.be/VVQ-2lcBOjI?si=-w0wcYkvwwZ2xXFS) The Seattle Channel City Inside/Out: Monorail Measure (https://seattlechannel.org/videos?videoid=x28624) Person of Interest: Dick Falkenbury (2016) (https://www.thestranger.com/features/person-of-interest-23716607/) Youtube clip of The Simpson’s Season 4: Episode 12’s Monorail song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4z_9NcIJXI) Marge vs the Monorail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge_vs._the_Monorail) Subscribe to or Follow our podcast on whatever platform you listen, and please share this episode with a friend! Leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts! Learn more about Invisible Histories (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/episodes/invisible-histories.com). If you are able, please support our podcast with a Tip (https://ko-fi.com/invisiblehistories) through Ko-Fi.com Credits: Episode recorded in Seattle, WA Edited by Elke Hautala Music - MONORAIL - The New Concert Orchestra - Dennis Farnon (Archive.org) Newsreel audio - World of Tomorrow: Monorail by King TV (1962) (https://archive.org/details/SMA_12807)https://archive.org/details/SMA_12807 (https://archive.org/details/SMA_12807) Courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archive Cover art design by Cari Simson Cari Simson and Elke Hautala formed Invisible Histories to visually and viscerally connect the public to experiences from the past. Their Invisible Histories podcast unearths diverse local stories and forgotten places. 2026 (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/www.invisible-histories.com)www.invisible-histories.com (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/www.invisible-histories.com) Cari Simson and Elke Hautala formed Invisible Histories to visually and viscerally connect the public to experiences from the past. Their Invisible Histories podcast unearths diverse local stories and forgotten places. www.invisible-histories.com (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/www.invisible-histories.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   19 Aug 2026

   The Ghostly Green Line

   Part 1 of The Ghostly Green Line: The Seattle Monorail Chronicles dives into the "ghostly green line"—the proposed Seattle Monorail that promised a transformative transit future between 1997 and 2005. Guest Cindi Laws, a veteran political operative, provides an insider’s look at the campaigns that defined that era. Laws reveals the "death by a thousand cuts" strategy employed by well-funded opponents, the deep-seated political rivalries between City of Seattle and King County leadership, and the unethical management practices that ultimately crippled the Monorail agency. The discussion moves beyond the surface-level narrative to address why Seattle’s transit planning has faced such consistent, decades-long failures. Cindi also shares the joys of successful campaigns, and her Cindi Laws, a Public Affairs Consultant and Lobbyist, has specialized in trade associations for small businesses and nonprofit organizations since the late 90s. Her professional political experience began in 1986 when she worked on former US Secretary of Transportation and former Congressman Brock Adams campaign to defeat incumbent US Senator Slade Gorton. She went on to serve Sen. Adams in the US Senate, where she worked on transportation, timber, Tribes, and Labor, and then as state outreach director for Senator Adams. Cindi also worked on 3 presidential campaigns: Dukakis/Bentsen 1988 (flipping WA Blue for the first time in 20 years), and smaller roles for Clinton/Gore in both 1992 and 1996. You can connect with Cindi through her LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindi-laws-43544b6/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cindilaws) "Let's celebrate the joy that we can do great things!!" -Cindi Laws Part 2 will come out on September 22nd, and will include interviews with people who worked for and volunteered with the Monorail campaigns: Rodney Rutherford, Brian Dougherty, and Michael Taylor-Judd. Show Notes: Tickets for upcoming Invisible Histories events (Tickets for upcoming Invisible Histories events) Seattle Monorail Project Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Monorail_Project) For the Monorail: A 1997 Op-Ed by Walt Crowley (https://www.historylink.org/File/4297) USCG final environmental impact statement for Seattle Monorail Project Green Line (https://archives.seattle.gov/digital-collections/index.php/Detail/objects/236856) and contains Appendix LL. (Seattle Municipal Archives - Monorail documents) Seattle monorail project / final staff recommendation for alignment and stations (https://archives.seattle.gov/digital-collections/index.php/Detail/objects/238084) and includes a small amount about the Lander station and other stations. (Seattle Municipal Archives - Monorail documents) The Monorail Society: Hall of Fame (https://www.monorails.org/tMspages/HallofFame.html) Peter Dibble: How Seattle rejected the Monorail (youtube) (https://youtu.be/VVQ-2lcBOjI?si=-w0wcYkvwwZ2xXFS) The Seattle Channel City Inside/Out: Monorail Measure (https://seattlechannel.org/videos?videoid=x28624) Person of Interest: Dick Falkenbury (2016) (https://www.thestranger.com/features/person-of-interest-23716607/) Youtube clip of The Simpson’s Season 4: Episode 12’s Monorail song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4z_9NcIJXI) Marge vs the Monorail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge_vs._the_Monorail) Subscribe to or Follow our podcast on whatever platform you listen, and please share this episode with a friend! Leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts! Learn more about Invisible Histories at invisible-histories.com (invisible-histories.com) Credits: Episode recorded in Seattle, WA Edited by Elke Hautala Music: Alteration by IMG from Uppbeat io & Monorail by The New Concert Orchestra from Archive.org Cover art design by Cari Simson Cari Simson and Elke Hautala formed Invisible Histories to visually and viscerally connect the public to experiences from the past. Their Invisible Histories podcast unearths diverse local stories and forgotten places. www.invisible-histories.com (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/www.invisible-histories.com) Cari Simson and Elke Hautala formed Invisible Histories to visually and viscerally connect the public to experiences from the past. Their Invisible Histories podcast unearths diverse local stories and forgotten places. www.invisible-histories.com (https://open.acast.com/networks/6577b3fe9ff7fa001280b253/shows/6577b61a32da910012a1f7fa/www.invisible-histories.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

81

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

4.3 / 5

10 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

37

Social presence

0

YouTube

63

Engagement

71

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