PODCAST

What Came After

Manya Marcus

Stories of how people’s lives changed on and after October 7, 2023

society & culture personal journals

All Episodes

12:19

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 9: What's...

What Came After ·

2026/03/25

Recorded during the first days of Israel’s second war with the Iranian regime, this chapter explores the role of dark humor in moments of crisis. From bomb shelters to everyday interactions, laughter emerges as a powerful way to cope with fear, uncertainty, and life under fire.Learn more about our podcast at https://www.whatcameafter.com/

52:17

“I Never Used the Word ‘Love' So Much"

What Came After ·

2026/03/22

Hi everyone, this is Manya Marcus. This episode is being released from Israel on March 11th, 2026, where l'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:

60:21

"We Are A PTSD Nation"

What Came After ·

2026/03/22

Paralympic 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

31:52

"As An Artist, You Need To Tell The Truth"

What Came After ·

2026/03/18

In this episode, Manya Marcus speaks with award-winning Israeli screenwriter Eden Gurion about his latest film, called Remnants in English The film follows a teenage girl whose older sister was killed at the Nova music festival during the massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, and offers several intimate portraits of grief. In their conversation, Eden reflects on the many faces of grief and on why much of his work focuses on stories about Israeli identity - particularly in moments of national trauma

12:18

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 8:...

What Came After ·

2026/03/17

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

16:08

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 7: "We...

What Came After ·

2026/03/12

This chapter, recorded in Israel on March 12th, 2026, during the second war with the Iranian regime, brings together three voices reflecting on life in wartime.Rabbi Joe Wolfson of Tel Aviv speaks about the powerful urge to volunteer in moments of crisis - and how that impulse has been constrained by the realities of sheltering close to home. In Rehovot, Manya Marcus meets Binyamin, who sits outside a mall listening on his phone to psalms recited in the Yemenite style. And Sara Dahan reflects on

52:17

"I Never Used the Word 'Love' So Much"

What Came After ·

2026/03/11

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:

24:51

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 6: Anna...

What Came After ·

2026/03/10

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.

5:15

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 5: The...

What Came After ·

2026/03/09

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.

15:25

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 4: Nicole...

What Came After ·

2026/03/08

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

4:49

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 3: Purim

What Came After ·

2026/03/07

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.

3:49

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 1

What Came After ·

2026/03/05

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.

6:29

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 2

What Came After ·

2026/03/05

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.

48:04

"We Show Up"

What Came After ·

2026/02/17

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

49:29

"They Are The New Survivors"

What Came After ·

2026/01/22

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

45:27

“Why Am I Living In America?"

What Came After ·

2026/01/11

In September 2025, I sat down with Aryeh Schwartz, a professional photographer based in Washington, DC. Aryeh was working at the Capital Jewish Museum on the night that Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Leschinsky were murdered. Aryeh is also the founder of Winsidr.com, a leading outlet for in-depth WNBA coverage. In this conversation, Aryeh reflects on the night Sarah and Yaron were killed and its aftermath. He also reflects on the unexpected ways his work in WNBA journalism has shifted since October

38:42

“Why Do We Start So Late?”

What Came After ·

2025/12/21

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

43:34

"Adults In The Room: Where Are You?"

What Came After ·

2025/12/11

Earlier this year, I sat down with Alissa Zeffren, a Tanach and History teacher at Ida Crown Jewish Academy outside Chicago and the director of NILI, the women’s division of the YU Torah Mitzion Kollel. Alissa also leads the Chicago chapter of Student to Student (STS), a program that trains Jewish teens—across Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox backgrounds—to present about Judaism in non-Jewish public and private school classrooms, working to combat antisemitism one classroom at a time. Our guest

51:03

"We Want It To Come From Us"

What Came After ·

2025/12/01

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

42:26

"A Really Great Day For Another Proud Jew"

What Came After ·

2025/11/24

This past September, What Came After traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Rabbi David Wolkenfeld, the rabbi of Ohev Shalom. Rabbi Wolkenfeld, who began his tenure only a few months before October 7th, reflected on the unique challenges of stepping into leadership in the shadow of that day.He spoke about the wide range of pastoral needs that emerged within his new congregation—from helping people reclaim spaces for Jewish joy after tragedy to supporting families across multiple generations who

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