Tasseled Israeli Flag owned by an aid for the mayor of New York City
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 11.250 inches (28.575 cm) | Width: 18.125 inches (46.038 cm)
Archival History
The flag was donated to the Hatikvah Holocaust Education Center in Springfield, MA, in 1998. It was transferred to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2011, following the closure of the Hatikvah Holocaust Education Center in 2010.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Hatikvah Holocaust Education Center
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Small, cloth, Israeli flag with gold colored tassels received by Paul H. Taylor who was an aid to the mayor of New York City , under both Vincent R. Impellitteri and Robert F. Wagner, Jr., from 1951 to 1958. His duties included making arrangements for visiting Jewish dignitaries to the city in the 1950s. Among these visitors were David Ben-Gurion, the primary national founder of the State of Israel and its first Prime Minister, in 1951, Shlomo Zalman Shragai, mayor of Jerusalem, in 1952, and Shalom Kahalny, the marathon runner who carried an Olympic torch to City Hall, in 1956. He also helped host events for visits by the Mayor of Tel Aviv, the Chief Rabbi of Ireland, the Jewish War Veterans of the United States, and several local religious and political leaders.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular, discolored white cloth flag with a dyed, bright blue design: a Star of David at the center and horizontal blue stripes near the top and the bottom. The white center has a blue and white stripe above and below. The flag is constructed of a single piece of cloth with machine finished hems in white thread. On the left, the hoist is reinforced with white cloth that forms a full-height channel and has a silver colored metal grommet in the top corner. Inserted through the grommet is a folded, 18 inch long, gold colored, twisted cord with tasseled ends. The right edge is triple stitched and the top and bottom edges are double stitched. There is a faint manufacturing stamp on the front hoist. There is slight discoloration along the right end and the tassels are frayed.
Subjects
- Jewish nationalism--United States.
- Jews--Palestine--History--20th century.
Genre
- Object
- Identifying Artifacts