QUESTION: Should an Israeli flag be displayed on the pulpit of an American Reform Synagogue? In this case an American flag is already so displayed(Rabbi R. Goldman, Chattanooga , Tennessee )*
ANSWER: The six-pointed Star of David is now commonly recognized as a symbol of Jews and Judaism throughout the world, both by ourselves and by our non-Jewish neighbors. There is no clear distinction between Jews and Judaism , between our religious and our national aspirations. Since the Babylonian Diaspora, our prayers have constantly contained petitions for the return to Zion and the reestablishment of Israel . In the traditional Shabbat morning Torah service we find an additional prayer(a) for the academies in Israel , Babylonia , and the Diaspora;(b) for the local congregation; and(c) for the Gentile government under which we live(Abudar ham, 47b; Machzor Vitry; Rokeach). These prayers have been part of the service either since the Talmudic period or, at the latest, since the fourteenth century. In other words, the service has for a long time contained side-by-side prayers expressing the desire for a return to the Land of Israel, gratitude for the land in which we live, and hope for the welfare of our own communities. The flags of the United States and Israel on a pulpit might be said to symbolize the prayers that have always been said in the synagogue. For this reason there is no religious objection to placing an American flag on the pulpit nor in placing an Israeli flag alongside it.(Of course, there are secular regulations for placing such flags, and these should be followed.) It might be helpful to look at the historical background, especially as there is no ancient record of a Jewish flag or symbol for the entire people of Israel .
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