Text: Pages 72-74

Moses at the burning bush, the importance of the Temple, and the Star of David are symbolic of Israel as a nation. The prophets of Judaism told their history through the Bible, creating a biblical tradition connected intimately to the Temple.

The Star of David is symbolic of the relationship between God and the people of Israel It is the most recognized symbol of Judaism. It is in the shape of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles. One triangle pointing down to represent humanity and one triangle pointing up to represent God There is no mention of the Star of David in the Bible, but there is speculation that it could have been the shape of the shield of King David or a symbol on the signet ring of King Solomon.

It seemed to have first emerged as a modern symbol of Judaism in Prague in the seventeenth century. The Star of David became the worldwide symbol of Zionism at the First Zionist Conference in 1897. It was adopted as the state flag in 1948, with the establishment of the State of Israel. The Star of David, often yellow, was used by the Nazis during the Holocaust to identify, subjugate, and murder Jews in Nazi-occupied countries. The Star of David has also been used in modern history as a symbol of defiance against ant-Semitism.