QUESTION: An Israeli flag which has stood on our pulpit for some time is now worn out. How should we dispose of it?(Morton Kramer, Los Angeles , California )*
ANSWER: Special honors have been accorded to the various appurtenances of the synagogue that possess different degrees of sacredness. Sacred texts and the Torah were buried or set aside in a safe place(Rashi to Ket. 19b; Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 154.5). They were sometimes interred with a scholar. Items that were a little more distant, like the cover of a Torah and a binder, were also sometimes buried with a scholar. Still other synagogue decorations, as for example, the cover of the bimah, could be renewed and the old item discarded.
Although the Israeli flag may stand on the bimah, it possesses no degree of sacredness. It is a symbol of the State of Israel but has no specific religious connotation, so we need take no unusual care for religious reasons. There are, of course, other reasons for disposing of a flag appropriately. We do so with the American flag in accordance with specific regulations and would accord similar respect to the flag of Israel . The attitude toward flags has changed in various periods, as we have seen from recent discussions about the burning of the American flag as well as its use on shirts, jackets, and the like.