Colors
White: Peace, purity, and innocence
Blue: Vigilance, perseverance, justice, prosperity, and freedom
Symbols
The Star of David
While the origins of the Star of David in Judaism are unclear, its elegant form and powerful symbolism have made it a constant presence in a variety of Jewish contexts since antiquity. It seems that its choice as a symbol of the Zionist movement stems from the late 18th century, when it began to emerge as a widespread emblem of Jewish identity.
In addition to what may have been the intention of the early Zionists, other interpretations of the two interlocked triangles make it a fitting symbol for the modern State of Israel, including rebirth, the harmonization of the spiritual and physical, and the relationship between God and humanity. Meanwhile, the Star’s 12 sides are often said to represent the 12 tribes of Israel.
The Blue Stripes
The blue stripes on the Zionist flag were inspired by the stripes on the tallit (prayer shawl) which are meant to recall the techelet of the ritual fringes (tzitzit). According to the Torah, one strand in the tzitzit should be dyed with techelet, the blue dye extracted from a sea animal called the chilazon, and placing techelet on the tzitzit was considered to have great spiritual power.
Rabbi Meir is quoted in the Talmud as saying: “Whoever observes the mitzvah of tzitzit is considered as if he greeted the Divine Presence, for techelet resembles the sea, and the sea resembles the sky, and the sky resembles God’s holy throne.”
Following the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE and the subsequent exile, the identity of the source of the dye was lost. For over 1,300 years, most Jews wore only plain white tzitzit, as reflected in the Midrash: “Now we have only white, for the original techelet has been hidden.” (Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 17:5)
The blue stripes, symbolizing Jewish identity and tradition, together with the Star of David, representing renewal and continuity, connect the State of Israel through its flag to the past, present, and future.
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