Flag of Israel

Flag origins

Israel’s flag has two blue horizontal stripes on white and a central blue six-pointed Star of David, or Magen David, as defined in the Basic Law. The stripes were inspired by the tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl. The star consists of two overlapping equilateral triangles. Over a long history it became a symbol of Jewish people and Judaism. Israel Post material documents Jewish use at least as early as the late Middle Ages and its importance in modern Zionism. The national flag was formally adopted on October 28, 1948.

Flag story

A nearly identical design had represented the Zionist movement about fifty years before Israel’s foundation, notably at the First Zionist Congress in 1897. David Wolffsohn drew on the white prayer shawl with blue stripes, reasoning that a new flag did not need to be invented, and added the Star of David. In 1948, adopting the movement’s flag as the state flag prompted concern that Jews abroad might face accusations of dual loyalty. The already familiar design was nevertheless ultimately chosen.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Israel — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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