This printed image is based on a real video of Naama Levy from October 7th. In the video, Naama was filmed being shoved into a van and kidnapped while blood was dripping down her sweatpants. She is still being held hostage by Hamas. I chose to use this imagery because it shows the abuse that Israeli women endured on October 7th. The blood on her sweatpants is embroidered with red fabric in order to draw attention to it. Naama Levy’s blood is not cheap, and her suffering, along with other Israeli women’s suffering, must be acknowledged. 

In the corner of my piece, the words, "עם ישראל חי" are embroidered. This phrase roughly translates to, "The Nation of Israel lives." This phrase is often used by Israeli people to express pride in their country. In times of crisis, we often come together and say this phrase to remind ourselves that there is hope. After October 7th,  Jews around the world popularized this phrase to express their support for Israel. I wanted to include this phrase in my quilt to show that even in hard times, Jews will always be united by Israel, our homeland. 

I chose to put an Israeli flag on this piece because the flag is a beacon of hope for Jewish people around the world. Jewish people have yearned to return to Israel for centuries, and now that Israel is ours again, we wave the Israeli flag with pride. The flag symbolizes prosperity, independence, and our relationship with God. I chose to include the Israeli flag on my quilt to represent unity. The nation of Israel has never been more united, and I have never felt prouder to be Jewish.  

The words embroidered on my quilt say, “Israeli women are bleeding. Your silence kills.” These words symbolize the blood dripping down Naama Levy’s sweatpants on October 7th and people’s failure to acknowledge Israeli women’s suffering. By ignoring the Israeli hostages and minimizing their pain, you become complicit in their suffering.