What are the 10 Modern Plagues?

Currently, I am working on an installation about the 10 Modern Plagues based on the ten Biblical plagues. Each of the modern plagues highlights current global problems created by humans in recent history but will be impacting future generations. The 10 Modern Plaques causes viewers to consider the repercussions of our daily actions, raises awareness of larger social and environmental issues, and opens a conversation for personal consideration.
What would you consider a "modern plague?" 

I have been working on this series since 2008. I have about five to seven years to go to complete five more major artworks.

Click on the title or image of each plague for more descriptions and images. The first word is the biblical plague, then the modern plague. Considering that we are living through a modern plague for the past couple of years, this series of work resonance more than ever.

Blood / Water Pollution, and the Need to Provide Clean Affordable Water

Blood דָם was the first biblical plague. The modern plague is Water pollution and the Need to Provide Clean Affordable Water addresses water pollution and access to clean water. This is a world wide problem. 3.4 million die from a water related disease each year, five plastic gyres fill our oceans, and rivers run red with mining & industrial pollution.

Frogs / Invasive Species

Frogs_ צְּפַרְדֵּעַ (Check out this page to see two of the letters in progress.)

Lice / Insect Born Diseases

Lice_כִּנִּים Insect Born Diseases such as Malaria carried by mosquitos and Lyme Disease carried by ticks both impacted by Man's destruction of the environment.

Wild Beasts / TERRORISM

The Biblical plague is wild beasts עָרוֹביית פרא. The modern plague is terrorism. After working on this for a year, I have to put is aside because of the technical hurdles for a mechanism to make it move. In 2023 I received a grant from the MFJC Fellowship Program https://mfjc.org/ whose purpose is to assist well-qualified individuals in carrying out an independent scholarly, literary or art project, in a field of Jewish specialization, which makes a significant contribution to the understanding, preservation or transmission of Jewish culture. The grant funded the completion of the lettering, design of the electrical engineering and programming and next week the professional photography for "Wild Beasts: Terrorism". (stay tuned for more updates.)

Blight / World Hunger

Blight_דֶּבֶר- World Hunger is part of the 10 Modern Plagues. In a time of abundant food production, world hunger is still a problem. Every night in the news we here about hunger and starvation in war zones. Even here in the United States segments of our society do not have enough to eat.

Boils / Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

Boils_שְׁחִין_was the Biblical plague. Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria could be the next world wide plague. Antibiotic overuse is an enormous and growing problem around the world. If left unchecked, a United Kingdom report has forecast, antibiotic-resistant bacteria could result in 10 million deaths each year by 2050  (more than the number of people killed by cancer) at a cost of $100 trillion to the global economy." COVID-19 has fallen upon the world relatively quickly, yet a world pandemic was predicted by Bill Gates five years before Covid appeared and was a topic of discussion for years. How were we so unprepared? What are the consequences? Are people expendable to save the world economy? What is the cost on one life, or a million lives?  Antibiotic resistant bacteria could be the next modern plague. (This is not yet started.)

Hail / Climate Change

Hail בָּרָד was the Biblical plague. Since Hail is a weather phenomenon it seemed fitting to recognize the modern plague of Climate Change. Every day on the evening news we witness extreme weather. This piece was finished in March 2024 after I received a grant to complete this artwork from MFJC in 2023, The Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture funded the additional help of my studio assistant and the professional quality photography.

Locusts / What is your modern plague?

Locusts_אַרְבֶּה Viewer's Plaguge: This will be a tablet of paper in the shape of the Hebrew letters where people can write their own ideas for a modern plague. Sheets of paper can be pulled off the tablet...as a "Post It Note" and collected for display in another room or hallway to prompt discussion. I'd love to hear your comments about what you consider a Modern Plague. Contact me through my website contact page.

Darkness / Lack of Education for Girls and Women

Darkness חוֹשֶך is the biblical plague. Lack of education for girls and women is a powerful topic and it resonates world wide. Construction not yet started

Slaying of the First Born / Slaying of the First Born Girls and Violence Against Women

Slaying of the First Born_מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת This is a work in progress. It makes me very depressed. There are a lot of Hebrew letters to construct, and then I am cutting out images of girls and women. They are symbolic of the killing of first born girls and violence against women. This is still in progress. There is a lot of work yet to go. There are nine letters..