What Came After

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
 
 
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This episode features Danesh Malmir, who was born in Iran and later came to the United States as an asylum seeker.
Introduced to host Manya Marcus through a mutual connection, Danesh shares the story of his activism against the Iranian regime and the personal cost of that work. He was shot during an anti-government protest, witnessed the IRGC kill a close friend, and was ultimately forced to flee Iran, leaving his family behind.
Unlike most guests on the show, Danesh is not Jewish. He describes himself as both an anti-regime activist and a peace-seeker, committed to the vision of a freer Iran.
That same conviction informs his support for the recent military campaign against the regime—an operation that was ongoing at the time of the interview. As of this writing, a fragile ceasefire is in place.
 
 
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: "Motorchi (Dayeh Dayeh)" | Reza Saghaei
Listen on Spotify  or Apple Music
 
 
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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
 
 
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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.
 
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Learn more about our podcast at https://www.whatcameafter.com/

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
 
 
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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 and upheaval.
Eden and Manya also discuss the unexpected international reception of Remnants, which has received awards and critical acclaim abroad even as many Israeli artists are navigating boycotts and growing cultural isolation.
 
Credits:
Host and Creator: Manya Marcus
Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod
Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick
Associate Editor: Keren Glicksman
Editor 2: Eli Akselrod
Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar
 
Music:
עד שהלילה נעלםUntil the Night Is Gone
Composition & Lyrics: Ilai Chapman (composer, lyrics), Eylon Sasson (composer, lyrics), Lidor Sultan (arranger, composer, lyrics)Production & Engineering: Lidor Sultan (producer)Singing: Anna Steffanie
Listen here
 
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Learn more about our podcast at https://www.whatcameafter.com/

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

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 her hopes for the Iranian People, and for Israel’s future.
 
 
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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
 
 
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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.
 
 
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