Do you think it is important?

A country’s identity is established by a few very important things but we often tend to avoid them. The National symbols of a country are those symbols by which the country is internationally known.

I’ll begin with the National Flag of Israel.

The flag is a rectangle (ratio is described as 8:11). A consists of a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) on a white background known as the The Magen David (shield of David, more commonly known as the Star of David) which is centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag.

The white colour in the flag is a symbol peace and honesty. The blue symbolises vigilance, truth, loyalty, perseverance & justice. The same white and blue are also the official colours of Israel.

The flag was first adopted during the first Aliyah and then as the flag of the Zionist movement since its inception in 1897. It had gained large popularity among the Jewish population in Israel and therefore was chosen the national flag on 28^th Oct. 1948.

National Emblem

The national emblem of the State of Israel was adopted almost 9 months after the country gained independence (14^th May 1948). It includes a seven branched-candelabrum,called the Menorah, flanked by two olive branches. The Menorah has been the symbol of Judaism since ancient times. This symbol was partly chosen by a competition announced by The Provisional Council of State to design the emblem.

The Menorah was well accepted as people could make immediate connection with the temple in Jerusalem. The bottom of the emblem also bears the inscription 'Shalom al Yisrael', Peace over Israel.

National Anthem

The Anthem is called ‘Hatikva’, The Hope. It was a 9 stanza poem written by poet Naftali Herz Imber. The first stanza and refrain were adopted as the national anthem when the State of Israel was established. Hatikva only became the official national anthem in 2004, when it was rooted in the "Flag and Emblem Law" of 1949 which then became the "Flag, Emblem, and National Anthem Law, 5709-1949."

You could listen to the National Anthem here

Kol ode balevav P'nimah – As long as in the heart, within,

Nefesh Yehudi homiyah, A Jewish soul still yearns,

Ulfa'atey mizrach kadimah, And onward, towards the ends of the east,

Ayin l'tzion tzofiyah; An eye still gazes toward Zion;

Ode lo avdah tikvatenu, Our hope is not yet lost,

Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim: The hope of two thousand years,

L'hiyot am chofshi b'artzenu - To be a free people in our land,

Eretz Tzion v'Yerushalayim. The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

Because of the words of the anthem most of the Israeli Arabs refuse to sing the anthem because they don’t identify with it and it only alludes to Jews and the yearning of the Jewish soul for the Holy Land. It has been a matter of controversy for quite some time now. Recently Justice Salim Joubran, the only Arab on the Supreme Court of Israel, chose not to sing Hatikvah during the swearing-in ceremony for new Supreme Court Justice. Some of his colleagues say that he should be removed from his post and should return his Israeli identification card and receive resident status only. His friends say that he objects to singing "Hatikva" on principle.

Further the National Bird is Hoopoe. The National flower and tree are Cyclamen and Olive tree respectively.

Hoopoe, Duchifat in Hebrew, was chosen as the national by a voting process in 2008. The flower and tree were also chosen in 2007.

If anybody knows why it took almost 60 years for the nation to choose its national bird and flower, please do let me know.