Page 5 - Issue 24

How was our National Flag Conceived

By David Wolfson

As per command of our leader, Herzl, I had arrived
to Basel (Switzerland) to make all the arrangements
for the first Zionist Congress. One of the many
questions that concerned me was one that entailed
one of the huge Hebrew problems: with which flag
shall we decorate the House of Congress? What will
its color be? We have no flag!

This matter pained me greatly. There is a need to
produce a flag, yet which colors shall we
choose? And suddenly, a thought came to my mind:
We actually have a flag that is blue and white: The
tallit with which we adorn ourselves in our prayers;
The tallit is our symbol! Let us take out the tallit
from its holster and spread it out to the eyes of
Israel and to the eyes of all of the nations. I then
ordered a blue and white flag with a Star of David
on it. And this is how our national flag was created.