Water Insecurity
I Am Yemenite Series

Water Insecurity

This mosaic, along with the painting displayed on the nearby wall, was inspired by a late 19th-century photograph taken in Yemen by German explorer Hermann Burchardt. The image below depicts the struggle for fresh water, particularly within impoverished Jewish communities, and highlights both the physical hardship and emotional burden of water scarcity in daily life. 

Access to clean water was a constant challenge, and women and girls often carried heavy vessels across desert and mountainous terrain. Limited water access contributed to widespread health issues, including a high child mortality rate estimated at around 60% in some communities. This historical reality also resonates with contemporary global water insecurity, which continues to cause significant suffering and loss of life worldwide.

The mosaic incorporates ancient pottery collected by the artist during an archaeological dig outside Jerusalem. The site, located in caves where Jews sought refuge from Greek oppression around 140 BCE, revealed an underground settlement where families once lived in concealment. The artist and her family participated in excavating an underground kitchen area, uncovering fragments of daily life from this period of survival and hiding.

Including this ancient pottery adds another layer of meaning and emotional depth to the mosaic, linking cycles of scarcity, displacement, concealment, and endurance across Jewish history. It connects ancient survival beneath the earth to later experiences of vulnerability and protection, reinforcing the work’s themes of memory, resilience, and continuity.