Surrounding the Magen David with yellow stars? The secret history and complex legacy of Israel's flag

On this week 73 years ago, Israel officially enacted a law recognizing its new national flag: the classic blue-and-white Star of David we recognize today.

Ever since, the Israeli flag has evoked pride and a sense of belonging for Israelis and most Jews in the diaspora. But it has also, increasingly in recent years, become a geopolitical lightning rod, burned by opponents of Israel in the Middle East and smeared by anti-Zionist protesters around the world.

How would the flag's designers react to this controversy today? Did they know how powerful the symbol would become? And why did they choose that final design to symbolize the State of Israel?

To help answer these questions, we're joined by historian and collector David Matlow, who pens the recurring Treasure Trove column for The CJN.

What we talked about:

• Be one of the first 50 people to email David Matlow through his website, herzlcollection.com, to receive a special envelope with the first day cover stamp
• Listen to "Meet the family doctor personally vaccinating hundreds of Ottawans" at thecjn.ca

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.