The events of October 7, 2023, in Israel stirred strong political feelings across countries and political divides. But for Yehiel the events were intensely personal. His spouse, Shir Koren, grew up less than 1,000 meters from Kibbutz Nir Oz. And among the 1,195 people dead and 251 kidnapped, many are her closest friends, her teachers, and her immediate family.

Yehiel turned to needle and thread, and to nature, to capture the enormity and also intimacy of the events. With this piece, he sought to highlight themes of violence and sexual abuse, among others. 

In the Old Testament, the fig leaf represents privacy, intimacy, and shame. This leaf is burned and riddled with holes. Veins of red thread flow from the leaf, spilling out of the frame. Itamar delicately weaves together threads of sorrow, resilience, and empathy, and confronts the intimate realities of loss and trauma, and the ripple effect of violence.