The Promised Podcast

Episode: The "Aftermaths" Edition

Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Noah Efron (A)
Co-Hosts: Alison Kaplan Sommer (B), Don Futterman (C)
Network: TLV1 Studios

Overview

This episode dives into the “aftermaths” of the past tumultuous months in Israel, starting with the gradual dismantling of Hostage Square, reflecting on its symbolism and improvisational power, and then addressing the deeper societal repercussions of war—specifically, the growing mental health crisis and challenges of grief, memory, and rebuilding in the wake of October 7th. The hosts discuss these themes both through current events (including breaking news about a newly publicized Einstein letter), and through intimate, personal stories and decisions faced by individuals and communities.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Hostage Square: A Shifting Symbol (00:41–09:11)

• Summary: Host Noah opens with the somber update that Hostage Square—a focal point for Israeli solidarity and activism since October 7th—is being dismantled, with the main stage and other installations being removed following hopes for the return of Ron Gvili’s body.
• The remaining objects—a symbolic concrete tunnel, “HOPE” sculpture, and a sticker-covered piano (dedicated to the recently released hostage Alon Ohel)—testify to the square’s recent history. The narrative describes the square’s emergence, transformation, and the powerful community spirit it embodied over 26 months.
• Alison and Don immediately connect to the personal impact of these events, sharing how local Hostage Squares and memorials have changed in their towns.

Notable Quotes

• Noah (04:26): “You could just feel Hostage Square starting to go back to being just... the square… symbolizing the magisteria of justice, learning and art.”
• Don (10:49): "What's been amazing to watch over the last few months is the pictures that were on the first wall were taken down one by one as the hostages or the remains of bodies were returned... That is very heartening. And of course, Ron Gvili is the one poster still up on the first wall."

2. The Story of Einstein, Gromer, and Nachum Chinitz (14:35–40:18)

• Summary: Noah tells the story behind a newly “discovered” letter where Albert Einstein praises his Jewish assistant, Jakob Gromer. Noah probes the backstories—Gromer's prodigious beginnings, his tragic life, and how he came to work with Einstein.
• But the real focus turns to Nachum Chinitz, the little-known recipient of Einstein's letter, who spent his life chronicling remarkable people. Chinitz’s work is celebrated for documenting a vanished Jewish world, the value of remembering, and the coexistence of diversity and unity in the Jewish historical experience.
• The hosts reflect on memorialization—how letters, books, and stories can serve both as grief documents and as bridges between sorrow and wonder.

Notable Quotes

• Noah (34:33): "And that is the sort of treatment that everyone gets in the book. Tchernachowski and Peretz and Katzen, Nelson and Chazar, whom Hinitz loved especially, and Rav Chaim Soloveitchik... and so many more."
• Noah (40:18): "...we have long, maybe always, lived in towns where socialists are just a block over from revisionists, where the Marxists are across the way from the Yeshivish sorts... where the chain is made of so many different links and where all the links matter."

3. Discussion #1: Is Israel Experiencing a Mental Health Tsunami? (46:49–62:06)

• Context: Reports and studies warn of a “mental health tsunami” in Israel after the October 7th attacks and subsequent war. PTSD, anxiety, depression, and suicide rates have all soared, affecting not just soldiers and reservists but the wider population.
• Alison (46:49–50:09): Shares hard statistics—40–50 soldiers have committed suicide, ~300 have attempted, over 580,000 Israelis show severe PTSD symptoms. She reads from the suicide note of Thomas Adgauskas, an IDF officer haunted by war horrors.

Panel Reactions

• Don (50:09–53:59): Emphasizes trauma isn’t just post—“we’re still in trauma.” Sees evidence everywhere, from school principal burnout, domestic violence, to the Arab sector’s crisis amid silence and threat. Notes declining empathy, especially regarding Gazans, and predicts potential deep societal shifts.
• Noah (53:59–58:43): Acknowledges that public recognition of the mental toll has led to improved early intervention. Still, he struggles with the boundary between “normal” grief and clinical crisis, sharing candidly his own struggles:
  • "I was clearly crazed when my boy was in Gaza... I think that I'm crazy now in a different way too. But it's bad. It feels bad." (58:01)
• Alison (58:43–62:06): Notes the ongoing strain on support services like suicide hotlines, but senses the release of some pressure as hostages are returned and the active crisis has subsided.
  • "I think the worst part of it is not just what we’ve been through in the past and the terrible trauma and coping with that, but it’s the lack of any kind of horizon for the future..." (61:30)

4. Discussion #2: Be’eri Kibbutz—To Remember or To Rebuild? (64:20–79:09)

• Context: After the October 7th massacre, Be’eri’s “Olives Neighborhood” was left in ruins. Residents voted on whether to keep the burned homes as a memorial or raze them and start anew.
• Don (64:20–69:55): Details the options, community process, and the stark division of opinion: ultimately, almost 200 voted to destroy all but one house (for later use in a national memorial), while 146 wanted varying levels of preservation.
• Alison (69:55–71:41): Unambiguously supports the right of residents to decide—"...they’re the ones who have to live there." Cites her own memories of Rabin Square’s transformation, seeing value in a similar balance.
• Noah (71:41–75:05): Reflects on the tragic necessity of such a vote—"The idea of 350 people in a room debating this, where the stakes were so huge and so personal, is overwhelming to me."
• Don (75:05–79:09): Shares the harrowing effect of visiting other attacked kibbutzim, feeling the raw trauma and questioning whether returning is even possible for some. He warns of political interference (Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu might declare the homes national historic landmarks against residents’ wishes) and re-emphasizes the sanctity of local choice.

Notable Quotes

• Don (78:53): "Do you keep the grief open or do you try to go through the stages of grief and move on?... for the families there, obviously it's their decision."

5. Listener Favorites: What a Country (80:08–97:49)

This segment invites each host to share something personal, uplifting, surprising, or simply "very Israeli" from recent weeks.

Don (81:11): On Intercultural Work and Identity

• Shares the story of Sali Awad, his Arab Christian colleague, on the difficulty of maintaining identity and hope as a Palestinian Israeli, both within and outside Israeli society.
  • “Each of us contains worlds within worlds… Being the deputy director of ICEI became much more than a job...” (83:29)

Alison (85:42): Finding Solace in Art and Jerusalem

• Recaps the Jerusalem Biennial of Drawing—how witnessing art and the adaptive re-use of historic spaces fits the theme of transformation and resilience. She draws meaning even from a painful blister, connecting its healing to the exhibition’s theme of “sloughing” and renewal.

Noah (91:47): The Guard and the Hedgehogs

• Tells a light, thoughtful story about a previously prickly relationship with a City Hall guard, who unexpectedly opens up about his passion for hedgehog conservation, reminding Noah—and listeners—of the hidden depths and passions within everyone.
  • "How I'm sure, everywhere. But boy, especially here. Everyone, everyone, everyone always has these things going on, these depths, these great depths that you don't see until you see them. But once you see them, you see them." (96:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Trauma:
  • Don (50:09): "Anyone who lives here for a long time has to learn to compartmentalize in order to just get through their day... we're not up to post trauma yet. We're still in trauma."
  • Noah (58:01): "I was clearly crazed when my boy was in Gaza, and I went for six months without any sleep at all. I was insane."
• On Memory and Memorials:
  • Resident, paraphrased by Don (64:20): "No one wants to live in Auschwitz."
  • Noah (72:03): "It just seems so tragic that people had to be making their case..."
• On Community and Resilience:
  • Don (83:29, quoting Sali Awad): "The responsibility to fix our society is a shared responsibility and staying united in a shared workplace, giving hope in the weakest communities. These are the foundations we need to continue building for the years of healing to come."
• On the Power of Everyday Encounters:
  • Noah (96:21): "Everyone... always has these things going on, these depths, these great depths that you don't see until you see them. But once you see them, you see them."

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:41] – Hostage Square’s Dismantling
• [14:35] – Discovery of the Einstein Letter and Nachum Chinitz
• [40:18] – First Discussion: The Mental Health Tsunami
• [62:06] – End of First Discussion; Music Break
• [64:20] – Second Discussion: Be’eri Kibbutz, Memory vs. Rebuilding
• [80:08] – “What a Country” Segment – Hosts’ Reflections
• [97:49] – End of Episode and Farewell

Tone and Closing

The episode is marked by candid, searching reflection—often mournful, sometimes wry or gently humorous, always laced with affection for the Israeli mosaic: its cultures, tragedies, ironies, and dogged hopes. The hosts routinely elevate the day-to-day, the communal, and the personal to the level of history, asking what it means to grieve, to remember, and to move forward.

This episode is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand the lived aftermath of October 7th in Israel—how trauma, memory, and the desire for normalcy and hope entwine in public squares, bombed kibbutzim, and the hearts of ordinary people.