What Came After

Latest Episodes:

What Came After: Live From Israel - Chapter 2 Mar 05, 2026

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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.

We Show Up Feb 17, 2026

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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.

Rav Hody also speaks about earlier chapters in his professional history as a climate change activist, how he feels about the direction the climate change movement has taken since October 7th, his continued passion for climate justice and communal service, and the story of why he decided to become a rabbi.

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”

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They Are The New Survivors Jan 22, 2026

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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

Why Am I Living In America? Jan 11, 2026

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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 7th. Aryeh speaks candidly about the many roles he holds beyond his professional life: as a father striving to protect his children while teaching them to cherish their Jewish identity; as a partner navigating difficult conversations with his wife about the balance between safety and Jewish pride; and as the proud brother of a combat soldier serving in th Israel Defense Forces.

This is a conversation about identity, responsibility and what it means to live as a Jew in America today.

Credits:

Host and Creator: Manya Marcus

Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod

Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick

Editor 2: Eli Akselrod

Editors: Noah Greenblatt and Shira Glicksman

Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar

Outro Music: “שִׁירַת הָעֲשָׂבִים” - Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and Naomi Shemer

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Why Do We Start So Late? Dec 21, 2025

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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

Adults In The Room: Where Are You? Dec 11, 2025

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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 last week, Kelly Shapiro, is a notable graduate of Chicago's Student-to-Student program.

Alissa founded the Chicago STS chapter in direct response to the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh. By the time October 7th occurred, the program was already well-established, with a robust network of schools and educators. Its peer-to-peer model—introducing students to the many facets of Jewish identity through direct conversation—had already seen great success.

In this episode, Alissa speaks with a rare blend of compassion and candor about what happened when STS students were scheduled to visit a public school in the days immediately following October 7th, and how she, her students, the STS program, and its partners navigated the unexpected challenges that followed.

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: “Lmala” - Ilana Chava

Listen on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple Music

We Want It To Come From Us Dec 01, 2025

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Please Support What Came After Media: Donate here. Your donations make this work possible.

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

A Really Great Day For Another Proud Jew Nov 24, 2025

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Please Support What Came After Media: Donate here. Your donations make this work possible.

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 hold very different perspectives on Israel. He also addressed the dangers of nationalism and how religious Zionism must grapple with what it means for God to have returned the Jewish people to a fully inhabited land, which is currently home to seven million Jews and seven million Arabs.

Credits:

Host and Creator: Manya Marcus

Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod

Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick

Editor 2: Eli Akselrod

Editor: Keren Glicksman

Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar

Outro Music: “נועם בנאי - “עיניים טובות

Listen on Spotify or Apple Music

The Most Meaningful Thing I Did Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

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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/

The Ultimate Slur Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

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Welcome back to What Came After. You’re about to hear the second part of my interview with Dr. Devin Naar, a professor of Sephardic Studies in Seattle.

When Devin and I first spoke a few months ago, we were trying to understand how to approach a set of topics about which we think and feel very differently. At one point, he asked me, “Where are you holding with the g-word?”—a question that, for most Jews since October 7th, needs no explanation.

For many Jews, the accusation of genocide against Israel is deeply offensive, even outlandish-- and profoundly antisemitic. For others, the idea of genocide in Gaza aligns with long-held critiques of Israel. And there are still other Jews who have identified—or still identify—as Zionists, for whom contemplating the possibility of a genocide has created real anguish and disorientation.

In this episode, Devin uses the g-word. I want to say explicitly that I do not agree with Devin's framing. But, as Dein and I discuss in this episode, I do believe very strongly in letting people speak for themselves. And I also see the critical importance of engaging honestly with Jews who see things differently, perhaps especially when the disagreements are substantive and painful.

Recently, when I told Devin that I had introduced him in the previous episode as a non-Zionist, he challenged that label. “Who said I was a non-Zionist?” he said. “I’m a Jew. A Sephardic Jew, full stop.”

Welcome back to this difficult conversation. No matter what you think of what Devin shares here, let's all hope for continued dialogue across our many Jewish communities—a future in which everyone gets to speak for themselves.

Credits:

Host and Creator: Manya Marcus

Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod

Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick

Editor 2: Eli Akselrod

Editor: Keren Glicksman

Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar

Outro Music: “A Modern Man" - Guy Mendilow Ensemble

Listen on Spotify or Apple Music

Visit us at https://www.whatcameafter.com/