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/

In this chapter from What Came After's reporting from the Second War with Iran, Manya Marcus speaks with Anna, a woman she met in the bomb shelter of the Ink Hotel. The conversation ranges from how to keep a bomb shelter safe to Anna's view that the beauty of Israeli culture and the Hebrew language take precedence over the significance of the land to a discussion of contemporary and classic Israeli 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.

In this chapter, Manya Marcus shares two interviews: the first takes place in a Tel Aviv bomb shelter with Nicole from Rome, who wonders if she would still have moved to Israel if she had known what life would be like for her and her children during a war. The second interview takes place in a bomb shelter in Rehovot with a man named Nissim. Nissim, who was born in Morocco and served for 28 years in the Israeli army before becoming a teacher, reflects on the reality of Jewish life in Morocco before his family fled to Israel, and explain why his name, which means "miracles", has such significance 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, host of What Came After, spent two weeks in Israel doing interviews for the podcast when war with the Iranian regime broke out. She has been recording on-the-spot interviews in bomb shelters, cafes, and on the street since then. This is her first reflection, recorded during a break between rocket barrages in Tel Aviv. Please stay tuned for more short episodes chronicling this war on the ground.

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. 

Manya Marcus, host of What Came After, spent two weeks in Israel doing interviews for the podcast when war with the Iranian regime broke out. She has been recording on-the-spot interviews in bomb shelters, cafes, and on the street since then. This is her first reflection, recorded during a break between rocket barrages in Tel Aviv. Please stay tuned for more short episodes chronicling this war on the ground.

What Came After sat down with Rabbi Hody Nemes this past February. Rav Hody, as he is called by his congregants, is the Assistant Rabbi of Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob (the shul that WCA host Manya Marcus calls home!), as well as the Program Director of Solu, an organization based in Skokie that develops relationships between the Orthodox community and other communities through service and learning partnerships. We spoke with Rav Hody about his work with Solu, particularly the challenges the organization faced as it doubled down on its resolve to build bridges beyond the Orthodox Jewish community after October 7th, and how that work has culminated in a current project that has gained international attention: Hersh's Fridge, a fully kosher community fridge built to meet the needs of those facing food insecurity across all local communities.

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: Tandu - “מה נאוו עלי” 

Listen on Spotify or Apple Music

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