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.

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.

Learn more about our podcast at https://www.whatcameafter.com/