Episode notes
Welcome back to What Came After.
In this episode, Joseph Gitler welcomed me into his home—we recorded in March of 2026. Fortunately, our conversation wasn't interrupted by a missile attack but Israel's war with the Iranian regime was still very much raging.
Joseph is the founder of Leket Israel, the organization that rescues cooked meals and agricultural surplus from across Israel to feed over 470,000 Israelis every week. He and I spoke about the enormous numbers of international volunteers who came — as quickly as they could enter the country after October 7 — to step into the breach for farmers who'd lost nearly everything, including the workers they'd depended on.
We also spoke about a very painful personal loss Joseph experienced during the war. Throughout it all, he ponders this question: given the Jewish people's long history of near-collapse, and our equally long history of improbable survival — is there any calamity the Jewish people face that can truly be described as "existential"?
On another note — I want to apologize for our long hiatus. Here's our big announcement: What Came After is no longer a standalone podcast. It's now a production of WCA Media, our new nonprofit audio studio. WCA Media will keep bringing you What Came After, and we have several other projects in the works. Please stay tuned — and if you're able, consider supporting us so we can keep this work going.
In this episode, Joseph Gitler welcomed me into his home—we recorded in March of 2026. Fortunately, our conversation wasn't interrupted by a missile attack but Israel's war with the Iranian regime was still very much raging.
Joseph is the founder of Leket Israel, the organization that rescues cooked meals and agricultural surplus from across Israel to feed over 470,000 Israelis every week. He and I spoke about the enormous numbers of international volunteers who came — as quickly as they could enter the country after October 7 — to step into the breach for farmers who'd lost nearly everything, including the workers they'd depended on.
We also spoke about a very painful personal loss Joseph experienced during the war. Throughout it all, he ponders this question: given the Jewish people's long history of near-collapse, and our equally long history of improbable survival — is there any calamity the Jewish people face that can truly be described as "existential"?
On another note — I want to apologize for our long hiatus. Here's our big announcement: What Came After is no longer a standalone podcast. It's now a production of WCA Media, our new nonprofit audio studio. WCA Media will keep bringing you What Came After, and we have several other projects in the works. Please stay tuned — and if you're able, consider supporting us so we can keep this work going.
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