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

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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

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/

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

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 נעלם Until 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

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.

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.

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