Promise Land / Homeland

Promise Land / Homeland is inspired by Ruth Calderon’s 2013 Knesset speech and reflects a vision of mutual understanding among Israel’s religious communities, grounded in the belief that “the Torah has been given to us all.” Calderon tells the story of Rabbi Rachamie, whose name derives from rechem (womb), linking to rachamim (empathy). The shared root, ramah, equals 248, the number of organs in the human body, suggesting wholeness through connection.
The papercut is composed of six layers, each symbolizing elements of the Old Testament and text from the speech. Imagery throughout is intentional: an umbilical cord evokes braided challah representing nourishment, and lineage stretching back to Adam and Eve. The work proposes that homeland is rooted in all of us and that we all need to get along.