Last modified: 2008-07-19 by dov gutterman
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umage by Željko Heimer
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The 18th Zionist Congress, 1933, resolved that "according
to a tradition of many years the azure-white is the flag of the
Zionist Federation and the Hebrew People". But except for
that, no authorized Zionist insitution resolved the shape of the
flag. But the the present form of a Magen David between two
stripes became the accepted form and the only one I saw in
photographs since the 1930's. This was the flag used by Israeli
soldiers in the War of Independence even before the Declaration
of Independence on 14 May 1948 and that was the flag present at
the Declaration.
Nahum Shereshevsky, 2 June 1998
Israel 55th Independence day on Tuesday, was an opportunity
for the daily "Yedi'ot A'haronot" to publish a piece
about the IL national flag.
Here is my translation:
"Transformation of a flag by Moshe Ronen
As Indepemdence day approach, we hang the national flag on public
buildings, in the streets and on most private houses. We all know
the national flag and emblem. We accepted them as such and didn't
gave any thought to the way thoy were designed.
The secrets behind the designation of the the national flag and
the official symbols, are recealed in a unique exhibition, opened
in this weekend at the gallery of "A'huzat Bayit" in
Ra'anana. The assence of the exhibition is dedicated to Ricahrd
Ar'el, who was the graphical advisor to the government of Israel
in the first ten years of independence. Ar'el was responsible to
the design of the national flag and supervised the choosing and
designing of its symbols, official papers and its stamps in the
first ten years of existance.
The initial idea for designing the flag was provided by the
"prophet of the state" Benyamin
Ze'ev Herz'l. He suggested seven gold stars to mark seven
daily working hours, on white background, to mark our new and
pure life according to his vision. Photo of the script in Herzl
hand writing is also presented in the exhibition in "A'huzat
Bayit". David Wolfson, one of the Zionist leaders in Herzl,
suuggested to add two light blue [T'helet] stripes to the flag to
remind the "Talith", and between them, he suusseted, to
scribe the Magen David (which was adopted by the Jews of Prague
in the 17th Cent. and in the 19th Cent. became a known Jewish
symbol). Herzl didn't gave up of the seven gold stars, but
suggested that six of them will be placed in the ends of the MD
points, and the seventh will be scribed above it.
The blue white flag with the MD in its center became the flag of
the Zionist Movement. However, 50 years after Herzl proposal,
when the state was established, its leaders afraid to make it the
the national flag. They were afraid that Jews that will hoist it
in their countries, will be suspected in double loyalty.
For half a year of independence, the state of Israel didn't have
an official flag. In the heat of arguments on the flag, the Prime
Minister, David Ben Gurion suggested: Lets go to the public and
hear its opinion. The government decided to issue a proclamation
asking the public to make proposals to the national flag. In the
proclamation was written that the flag must be blue-white,
however other colors could be submitted too. About 170 proposals
were submitted and all of them were given to Ar'el. Most of the
proposals were verbals and Ar'el was required to produce them in
graphical way. He took out few dozens which look mor serious then
other and painted them on hard paper in order to present them to
the government and the committee of miniters in carch on symbols
and ceremonies that was already exists.
Most of the proposals was according to the government request, in
blue-white colours, but some proposed to incooporate also red or
orange colors, colors of royalty, in the flag.
Ar'el prefered proposal was denied. He preffer a three parts flag
[triband] reminding the French or Italian flags, with two blue
rectangles in the sides and cenral white rectangle charged with
blue MD.
However, most of the first government members preffered two
horizontal stripes on white background insted of two vertical
rectangles. they explained that one line reminds the sky and the
other one reminds the sea.
Another change was made at the last moment. The color of the
stripes and MD, supposed to be light blue (as in the Talith)
became blue for being more prominant and easier to be seen at top
of Israli flag ship's mast at sea. On 28 October 1948 the
provisionally council of state determined that the final draw
made by Richard Ar'el is Israel official flag."
There are also images of 4 propsals (1,2,3,4)
The piece also has part about the national emblem (the
Menorah) and about the man itself. It also say that Ar'el was the
designer of the presidential flag which was first presented when
President Weizman left to his first official visit abroad.
Dov Gutterman, 4 May 2003
There seems to be some ambiguous information about the history
of the national flag of Israel.
There are many claims for the first hoisting of the blue-white
flag. There is Rishon Le'Ziyyon Flag 1885,
there is Nes Ziyyona Flag 1891,
and there are the American claim of 1887 (?)..
However, the current Israeli flag was, with no doubt, an
evolution of the flag that was designed for the First Zionist Congress in 1897 by
Wolfsohn, who, probably didn't know a thing about those early
flags.
Therefore, the origin of the national flag can be traced directly
only to the flag that was designed by Wolfsohn, while all other
flags (even thou may resemble to it) can't be directly connected
or made any influence on its design. The flag that was designed
for the first Zionist Congress held in 1897 and the forefather of
the current Israel national flag.
All other flags that appear at Zionist
Flags's subpages are Zionist flags used in various events,
but have no direct connection to the current national flag.
Dov Gutterman, 12 May 2005
On 24 June 2003, the Israeli Post issued a series of four
stamps that are dedicated to the history of the national flag.
I have strong doubts about the selection of one or two flags that
was chosen for this series.
The first
stamp is dedicated to Prague Jews
flag of 1356 - This flag is considered as the first use of
Magen David on flag.
The second
stamp is dedicated to Nes Ziyyona
flag of 1891 - I don't know what was the reason for that. As
I already noted, this flag is strongly suspected as an
"urban legend". Moreover, they show the flag
with gold Magen David and inscription while the description (in
sources published years after) claim that only the inscription
was gold. Also, the flag that is shown at the municipal website,
show white inscription (and blue Magen david). Furthermore, why
they choose Nes Ziyyona flag and not Rishon
LeZiyyon Flag which was hoisted six years before it (1885) ?
The third
stamp is dedicated to Herzl flag
- Herzl flag was a proposal that was never materialized. Such a
flag, as far as we know, existed only on Herzl's diary and was
never produced.
The stamp show a proposal that never existed as flag The flag
that did exist (First Zionist Congress
flag of 1897) appear at the background.
The forth
stamp show the national flag. Stamp at No argument here too.
Dov Gutterman, 23 July 2007
Zionist flags were a problem for
the British authorities. If they were
allowed, the Palestinian Arabs protested, and if they were not
allowed, the Jews protested.
In 1932 a Greek company registered in London, operating a ship registered in Haifa, asked if it could fly a Zionist flag. The Board of Trade wrote
that it could not be flown as an ensign, but wondered if it might
be allowed at the masthead, as a House Flag.
The Admiralty queried whether the flag
of a Political Party could be a House Flag. It was decided that a
House Flag was a private flag, a Political Party could not be
private, and therefore its flag could not be a House Flag.
In 1935 the High Commissioner of Palestine
wrote to the Colonial Office asking for powers to control the
flying of flags likely to incite disturbances. This referred
mainly to Zionist flags on immigrant ships, and he wanted to be
able to control flags flown in the territorial waters of Palestine. The Foreign Office view was that a
state was entitled to prohibit the flying of flags to which it
took objection, providing that the flags in question were not
ones that a ship would fly under ordinary custom. It thought that
this right existed only in national waters, such as harbours, and
did not extend to territorial waters (3 mile limit). The result
was Amendment No 2 Ordinance to Ports Ordinance 1926, which
prohibited flags other than; own national flag, signal flags, or
any official naval or diplomatic flag.
Source: Public Record Office, CO 323/1182/11 and CO
323/1333/5.
David Prothero, 17 August 2000
Maybe this initiated the Zim house
flag to be as it is, two blue stripes with seven six-pointed
gold stars. Since there are numerous photos of ships hoisting the
Zionist flag, I guess it was just another British ordinance that
was not followed by the natives.
Dov Gutterman, 17 August 2000
My grandfather Morris Harris designed the Jewish flag adopted
as the flag of Israel. Few people know this truth. Please visit
this site I created
to honor him.
Rebecca Rabinowitz, 13 May 1998
Many thanks for this fascinating account. As you probably
know, the received wisdom is that David Wolfsohn and/or Theodor
Herzl designed the flag that became Israel's flag.
David Cohen, 14 May 1998
The web site made in honour of Morris Harris says the First
Zionist Congress, after which Morris Harris made his flag, met in
1887. The Encyclopaedia Britannica claims the congress first met
ten years later, in August 1897. Presumably, then, 1897 is the
correct year for the flag Harris made.
According to the Encyclopaedia Judaica (published in Jerusalem,
1971), "The Zionist flag in its present form —two
blue stripes on white background with a shield of David in the
center— was first displayed in Rishon
LeZiyyon in 1885".
The raising of the flag in Rishon le-Zion thus predates Morris
Harris' flag by more than a decade. Rishon LeZiyyon was the first
Zionist settlement in what is now Israel. It was established in
1882.
The Encyclopaedia Judaica also says that Wolfsohn was unaware of
the earlier flags used in Rishon LeZiyyon and (presumably) by the
"Love of Zion" groups when proposing a design identical
to the flags used by these.
Jan Oskar Engene, 14 May 1998
