What Came After

This past November, I sat down with Amanda Borschel-Dan, Deputy Editor of The Times of Israel. Ever since the war began, it's been her voice on the Times of Israel Daily Briefing that has kept me — and so many of us in the English-speaking diaspora — feeling oriented and sane. She is one of my heroes of journalism: someone who has reported on October 7th and the subsequent wars with extraordinary rigor and clarity while being, as an Israeli, completely inside the story herself. In our conversation, Amanda spoke about what it means to do that work — how it can function as therapy, a kind of anchor in a crisis with no end. Credits: Host and Creator: Manya Marcus Sound Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick Associate Editor and Producer: Keren Glicksman Editor: Alexandra Yelderman Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar Outro Music: "Yamim Shel Sheket" | Tandu Listen on ⁠YouTube⁠

On March 11th, I sat down with Alyssa Annis, a native of Manchester, England, now living in Israel. Several years ago, while working closely with Holocaust survivors, Alyssa promised them that their stories would not be forgotten. This promise has become the defining mission of her life. Today she works with ⁠Sharaka⁠, bringing Holocaust education to Muslim leaders in the Arab nations that are signatories to the Abraham Accords, places where that history is either deeply misunderstood or deliberately obscured. I met Alyssa on the last day of what was supposed to be a two-week trip to Israel — one that extended after I found myself stranded in the middle of the war with the Iranian regime. A mutual friend, Rabbi Joe Wolfson of Tel Aviv, put out a call asking if anyone in his community would speak on a podcast about life after October 7th. Alyssa raised her hand. You can tell exactly where we are in history by listening. We were literally dodging missiles — pausing as we entered her building to wait out a siren. And yet Alyssa radiates optimism, including genuine hope that the war would bring about regime change in Iran. As of this writing on May 1st, 2026, there is a fragile ceasefire in place and the regime has not yet fallen. I'm posting this conversation two weeks after my episode with Danesh Malmir. Danesh, an Iranian man, spoke about his awakening upon discovering Holocaust history — forbidden and denied in his country. Alyssa speaks about the urgency of bringing that same truth to others. Together, Danesh and Alyssa make a convincing case for the power of Holocaust education in the Middle East. Credits: Host and Creator: Manya Marcus Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick Associate Editor and Producer: Keren Glicksman Editor: Alexandra Yelderman Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar Outro Music: "FAITH" | Nuriel Listen on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple Music⁠

When the What Came After team traveled to Israel this past February, we arrived with a plan: a slate of interviews, a full itinerary, and a clear sense of direction. But when war with the Iranian regime began on February 28th, everything changed. In the days that followed, we continued searching for voices that could help make sense of the moment. One of them was Netta Hultqvist, whom host Manya Marcus met in the underground bomb shelter of Tel Aviv’s Ink Hotel. Raised between Sweden and Israel, Netta describes a dramatic shift in her life after October 7th—moving from a career in finance and economics into the study of warfare, human nature, and defense technology. A veteran of the IDF, she reflects on the forces that drive violence, the possibilities for limiting harm to civilians, and why, as a secular person, she found herself turning to religious music in the aftermath of October 7th—and again now. Credits: Host and Creator: Manya Marcus Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick Associate Editor: Keren Glicksman Editor: Alexandra Yelderman Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar Outro Music: "אמן" | Tandu Listen on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple Music⁠

Professional para-athlete Asael Shabo lost his leg in a terror attack at the age of nine—an attack that also took the lives of several members of his family. In this episode, he shares a personal update from wartime Israel, reflects on his journey to wheelchair basketball, and speaks about trauma, resilience, and the long path to recovery.To support the Israel ParaSport Center- which played a critical role in Asael's recovery and continues to do so for thousands of Israelis with disabilities- please click here: https://israelparasport.org/donate/ Credits: Host and Creator: Manya Marcus Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick Associate Editor: Keren Glicksman Editors: Eli Akselrod and Alexandra Yelderman Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar Outro Music: "כלים" | Anat Malamud Listen on Spotify or Apple Music

Hi, this is Manya Marcus. It’s March 16th, 2026, and I’m recording this from not Israel. I was able to fly home last week and arrived back in Chicago just a few hours before Shabbat began. What you’re about to hear are reflections from several people about how they left Israel during the war - and what those departures meant to them. During my unexpected 13 days in Israel at the start of the war, I was able to record so many conversations with people living through those moments in real time. We’ll have more chapters here for you soon. Learn more about our podcast at https://www.whatcameafter.com/

Hi everyone, this is Manya Marcus. This episode is being released from Israel on March 11th, 2026, where I’ve been stranded since the war with the Iranian regime began. Since the war started, we’ve been releasing short episodes we’re calling chapters. The last one was called "Anna from the Tel Aviv Bomb Shelter", a conversation with a woman I met while we were both sheltering in the basement of my hotel. While we were down there, I told Anna about the project I originally came to Israel to work on: a series about Israeli music, and how those songs reveal the connections - and sometimes the tensions - between Israeli Jews and Jews in the diaspora right now. At the center of that series is a very unlikely friendship - mine with a man you'll hear in this episode named Oz Bar-Liss. I met Oz at Einot Bar, a trauma treatment clinic in the Negev. In the conversation you’re about to hear, he describes how he and his family narrowly escaped Hamas terrorists - only for him to return later that same day in uniform. You’ll also hear how quickly he reaches for music to make sense of what he’s lived through. This is a first introduction to Oz - someone you’ll be hearing much more from when the new series comes out in a few months. Credits: Host and Creator: Manya Marcus Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick Associate Editor: Keren Glicksman Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar Outro Music: "אין לי ארץ אחרת" | Corinne Allal Listen on Spotify or Apple Music

Manya Marcus continues to send audio postcards from the Second Iran War with Israel. In these vignettes, she shares what it's like to receive virtual medical care from doctors who are also tending to victims of missile fire; how it feels to know where her children are in their day- without her; the exhaustion of going back and forth to the bomb shelter; and how even grocery shopping is anxiety-provoking right now.

Manya Marcus, host of What Came After, got stuck in Israel during the Second Iran War. Manya continues to send audio impressions of her time on the ground, this time from Rehovot, where Purim celebrations remained lively- both inside and outside the bomb shelter.

Manya Marcus continues to report live from the war between Israel and the Iranian regime. These are audio postcards from various scenes she is experiencing on the ground in Israel: in bomb shelters, cafes between rocket barrages, in elevators, and beyond.

This past fall, I sat down with Nadine Greenfield-Binstock, a longtime Jewish communal professional who has devoted her career to strengthening Jewish life as well as Israel advocacy. After more than 20 years working with the American Jewish Committee, Nadine reflects on the AJC’s role in building bridges—both within the Jewish community and beyond it. She also speaks candidly speaks about the devastating night that Yaron Leschinsky and Sarah Milgrim were murdered at an AJC event in Washington, DC. Our conversation also looks ahead: the challenges facing emerging community leaders, as well as the many sources of faith in the Jewish future. Nadine shares the powerful story of her father, a survivor of nine concentration camps, and how he transformed post-traumatic stress into post-traumatic growth—along with her complicated feelings of relief that he did not live to witness October 7, as well as how much she misses him and wishes that he were here now to offer his hard-earned wisdom. Credits: Host and Creator: Manya Marcus Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick Editor 2: Eli Akselrod Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar Outro Music: פונאר” - סנדרה ג'ונסון” Listen on Youtube

Earlier this year, I traveled to Princeton, New Jersey to meet with Lynne Azarchi and Harlene Lichter Galen, authors of Countering Antisemitism: A How‑To Guide for Youth (8–18), Families and Educators. The two met while working on anti-bias programming in a New Jersey after-school setting and, during the height of COVID, began noticing a troubling rise in antisemitic bullying and bias targeting younger students. In this episode, Lynne and Harlene reflect on their personal encounters with antisemitism and how their professional work with children across diverse backgrounds informed the book’s evidence-based approach. Central to their framework is the importance of helping children identify trustworthy adults who can support them in navigating antisemitism with confidence, compassion, and pride. They also speak candidly about navigating political differences around Israel within their own families, and explain why the strategies outlined in the book remain effective regardless of political perspective. Both emphasize the urgency of beginning this work early—during elementary school—rather than expecting teens and young adults to face these challenges on their own once they reach college. Credits: Host and Creator: Manya Marcus Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick Editor 2: Eli Akselrod Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar Outro Music: “Where We Go” - Elijah Aaron Listen on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple Music⁠

This past July, What Came After sat down with Kelly Shapiro, an engineering student at Rutgers University who founded the club Students Stand With Israel in the aftermath of October 7th. Kelly discusses her path into student government as antizionism and antisemitism surged on campus, and she reflects on the fear many Jewish students feel about speaking up—often out of concern that they lack an encyclopedic grasp of the conflict. She also shares her own experiences with intimidation since becoming the public face of her organization. In our conversation, Kelly talks about both the burdens and the pride that come with taking on this work as a college student. She also describes how genuine dialogue—not protests or slogans—has helped foster unexpected moments of mutual understanding between her and some peers who identify as anti-Israel. Credits: Host and Creator: Manya Marcus Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick Editor 2: Eli Akselrod Editor: Molly Glicksman Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar Outro Music: “Light” - Ilana Chava Listen on Spotify or Apple Music

Earlier this week, I visited the Nova Exhibition in my hometown of Chicago. Even though I had visited the Nova site just four months after October 7th, I sensed that this experience would be more intense. I was right. And that intensity is part of what makes the exhibit so important. After viewing the exhibit, I sat down with Doron Mizrahi. Doron, now 27, attended the Nova festival. He witnessed what he repeatedly describes as a “horror show”—a phrase that, as you’ll hear, is nothing if not an understatement. After saving several people and guiding them to safety, Doron went straight into the army reserves. Just three weeks after enduring the gruesome massacre, Doron was serving as a soldier in Gaza. This episode is, in many ways, a love letter—to Doron’s family, especially his mother; to the army, which gave him purpose and belonging during his darkest hours; and to trance music. But perhaps most poignantly, this interview is a love letter to the Tribe of Nova, a deeply compassionate and organized community that has stepped in to support survivors on every level. I know we have many listeners in Chicago and across the United States. I want to encourage everyone to see the Nova Exhibition—especially those who may feel scared or apprehensive. Every person who walks through the exhibit enters into a profound relationship with this moment in Jewish history. But they also become part of a surprising emerging narrative—one of courage, healing, and love. I hope you enjoy this very special interview. And for those who are able to visit, you can find more information about the Nova Exhibition at novaexhibtion.com. Credits: Host and Creator: Manya Marcus Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick Editor 2: Eli Akselrod Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar Outro Music: “Run Away" - Bizarre Contact Listen on Spotify or Apple Music Visit us at https://www.whatcameafter.com/