Chapter I
What it means
The star of two interlaced triangles is today the sign of the Jewish people and of Judaism. Later interpreters gave it many meanings: the union of heaven and earth, God’s rule in all six directions, or the protection of God over his people, as the name “Shield of David” suggests.
For most Jews the star is not a holy object but an emblem of identity. Its strength comes from history, including the yellow star the Nazis forced Jews to wear, which turned it into a sign of suffering and of survival.
Chapter II
Where it comes from
The six-pointed star is an ancient decorative shape, used by many peoples. It appears in some synagogues of late antiquity and in medieval manuscripts, but only as an ornament or a magic sign. Christians and Muslims, who called a similar figure the “Seal of Solomon”, used it too.
From the 14th century the Jewish community of Prague used the star on its flag, and from the 17th century it spread as a Jewish emblem. In 1897 the First Zionist Congress adopted it, and from 1948 it stands on the flag of Israel.
Chapter III
Where you see it today
The star is on synagogues, gravestones, ritual objects and jewellery throughout the Jewish world. The Magen David Adom, “Red Shield of David”, is Israel’s emergency medical service and part of the international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.