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65-630: The two-storey building comprises a row of shophouses with "varying building facades and heights". It features an "iconic" curved façade and "notable" balconies and twin cupolas, is one of three buildings in the area to feature the Star of David on its exterior. The star can be found on a pediment which also features the year "1924" on the top of the building. According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority , it serves as "historical evidence of Singapore's pre-WW2 Jewish urban community in

130-505: A Jewish identity. While the absolute majority of people with this identity are of Jewish ethnicity, people of a mixed Jewish and non-Jewish background or gentiles of Jewish ancestry may still have a sense of Jewish self-identity. Jewish identity can be described as consisting of three interconnected parts: In classical antiquity , the Jewish people were constantly identified by Greek , Roman , and Jewish authors as an ethnos , one of

195-476: A Jewish mother are considered Jewish, regardless of personal beliefs or level of observance of Jewish law. Progressive Judaism and Haymanot Judaism in general base Jewishness on having at least one Jewish parent, while Karaite Judaism bases Jewishness only on paternal lineage. These differences between the major Jewish movements are the source of the disagreement and debate about who is a Jew . Jews who are atheists or Jews who follow other religions may have

260-644: A Red Shield, alongside the Christian cross and the Muslim crescent. Since 1948, the Star of David has carried the dual significance of representing both the state of Israel and Jewish identity in general. In the United States especially, it continues to be used in the latter sense by a number of athletes. In baseball, Jewish major leaguer Gabe Kapler had a Star of David tattooed on his left calf in 2000, with

325-416: A Star of David across his stomach, and welterweight Dmitriy Salita even boxes under the nickname "Star of David". Maccabi clubs still use the Star of David in their emblems. The Jewish Encyclopedia cites a 12th-century Karaite document as the earliest Jewish literary source to mention a symbol called "Magen Dawid" (without specifying its shape). The name 'Shield of David' was used by at least

390-583: A Star of David on his trunks as well, notably, for the first time as he knocked out Nazi Germany hero Max Schmeling in 1933; Hitler never permitted Schmeling to fight a Jew again. A Star of David, often yellow, was used by the Nazis during the Holocaust to identify Jews . After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, there initially were different local decrees forcing Jews to wear distinct signs (e.g. in

455-540: A blue Star of David on a white background, between two horizontal blue stripes was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the country's establishment. The origins of the flag's design date from the First Zionist Congress in 1897; the flag has subsequently been known as the "flag of Zion". Many Modern Orthodox synagogues, and many synagogues of other Jewish movements, have the Israeli flag with

520-491: A blue-and-white Magen David symbol on her golf apparel. In boxing, Jewish light heavyweight world champion Mike "The Jewish Bomber" Rossman fought with a Star of David embroidered on his boxing trunks, and also has a blue Star of David tattoo on the outside of his right calf. Other boxers fought with Stars of David embroidered on their trunks include world lightweight champion, world light heavyweight boxing champion Battling Levinsky , Barney Ross (world champion as

585-547: A distinct ethnic union with a recognized political and legal status ( politeuma) , with Jerusalem being the colony's mother-city. The writings of Philo , a Jewish philosopher from Alexandria who flourished in the first half of the first century CE, reflect on Jewish identity in the diaspora during the late Second Temple period. At the time Philo lived, Jews had been present in the Diaspora, particularly in Alexandria, for

650-921: A distinctive religious culture, gradually shifted to that of a religious community that also identified as a nation. In the aftermath of the First Jewish–Roman War , the Fiscus Judaicus was imposed on all Jews in the Roman Empire, replacing the annual half-shekel tribute that Jews paid to the Temple in Jerusalem. It appears that the Romans chose to use Jewish religious behavior rather than Jewish ancestry to determine tax liability, and this Roman interference in Jewish tax-collection may have prompted this transformation in Jewish identity. The process

715-462: A homeland in a political sense because it was the site of a Jewish "colony," structured as a distinct ethnic union with a recognized political and legal status ( politeuma ), with Jerusalem being the colony's mother-city. Jewish identity underwent a significant shift in the centuries that followed the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. The initial conception of the Jews as an ethnos , albeit one with

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780-633: A large hexagram appears on the cover. In the colophon is written: "Each man beneath his flag according to the house of their fathers...and he will merit to bestow a bountiful gift on anyone who grasps the Shield of David." In 1592, Mordechai Maizel was allowed to affix "a flag of King David, similar to that located on the Main Synagogue" on his synagogue in Prague. Following the Battle of Prague (1648) ,

845-408: A lightweight, as a junior welterweight, and as a welterweight), world flyweight boxing champion Victor "Young" Peres , world bantamweight champion Alphonse Halimi , and more recently World Boxing Association super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman , light welterweight champion Cletus Seldin , and light middleweight Boyd Melson . Welterweight Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman has a tattoo of

910-590: A nation rather than just an ethnic group, eventually leading to the rise of Zionism and the establishment of Israel. In his works from the late Second Temple period, Philo of Alexandria made comments that reflected the features of Jewish identity in the diaspora. At the time Philo lived, Jews had been present in the Diaspora, particularly in Alexandria , for a very long time. Because his fellow nationals had lived there for many generations, he appears to have thought of Alexandria as his city. In an effort to explain

975-603: A shield (v. 31 and v. 36). The term occurs at the end of the "Samkhaynu/Gladden us" blessing, which is recited after the reading of the Haftara portion on Saturday and holidays. The earliest known text related to Judaism which mentions a sign called the "Shield of David" is Eshkol Ha-Kofer by the Karaite Judah Hadassi , in the mid-12th century CE: Seven names of angels precede the mezuzah : Michael, Gabriel, etc. ... Tetragrammaton protect you! And likewise

1040-503: A temple on Bar Kokhba Revolt coinage which dates from 135 CE. Originally, the hexagram may have been employed as an architectural ornament on synagogues, as it is, for example, on the cathedrals of Brandenburg and Stendal , and on the Marktkirche at Hanover . A hexagram in this form is found on the ancient synagogue at Capernaum . The use of the hexagram in a Jewish context as a possibly meaningful symbol may occur as early as

1105-418: A very long time. Because his fellow nationals had lived there for many generations, Philo appears to have regarded Alexandria as his city. To explain the status of the Jews in terms Greek readers would understand, Philo depicted them as immigrants who established "colonies" (Greek: apoikiai ), with Jerusalem serving as their "mother-city" ( metropolis ). According to Kasher, Alexandria could only be regarded as

1170-444: A way-opener such as Maria Hebraea of Alexandria (2nd or 3rd century CE ; others date her earlier) already used concepts which were later adopted by Muslim and Christian alchemists and could be graphically associated with the symbolism of the upper and lower triangles constituting the hexagram, which came into explicit use after her time. The hexagram however only becomes widespread in Jewish magical texts and amulets ( segulot ) in

1235-410: Is a "distinct possibility of finding premodern groups that meet the criteria for a nation (not just for ethnicity), with the Jews providing perhaps the clearest example". Agreeing with Smith, Goodblatt proposes dropping the qualifier "religious" in the definition of Jewish nationalism by Smith, noting that according to Smith himself, a religious component in national memories and culture is common even in

1300-412: Is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism . Its shape is that of a hexagram : the compound of two equilateral triangles . A derivation of the seal of Solomon was used for decorative and mystical purposes by Muslims and Kabbalistic Jews . The hexagram appears occasionally in Jewish contexts since antiquity as a decorative motif, such as a stone bearing a hexagram from

1365-399: Is recognized as Jewish by others or by external religious, legal, or sociological standards. Jewish identity does not need to imply religious orthodoxy . Accordingly, Jewish identity can be ethnic or cultural in nature. Jewish identity can involve ties to the Jewish community. Orthodox Judaism bases Jewishness on matrilineal descent. According to Jewish law ( halakha ), all those born of

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1430-585: The General Government , a white armband with a blue Star of David; in the Warthegau , a yellow badge, in the form of a Star of David, on the left breast and on the back). If a Jew was found in public without the star, he could be severely punished. The requirement to wear the Star of David with the word Jude ( German for Jew) was then extended to all Jews over the age of six in the Reich and in

1495-517: The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (by a decree issued on September 1, 1941, and signed by Reinhard Heydrich ) and was gradually introduced in other Nazi-occupied areas. Others, however, wore the Star of David as a symbol of defiance against Nazi antisemitism, as in the case of United States Army private Hal Baumgarten, who wore a Star of David emblazoned on his back during the 1944 invasion of Normandy . The flag of Israel , depicting

1560-526: The Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram. Gershom Scholem (1990) disagrees with this view, arguing that Isaac Luria talked about parallel triangles one beneath the other and not about the hexagram. The Star of David at least since the 20th century remains associated with the number seven and thus with the Menorah , and popular accounts associate it with the six directions of space plus

1625-808: The Singapore Heritage Society , as well as the Singaporean chapter of the International Council on Monuments and Sites , who stated that they were "deeply disturbed by the authorities' disregard for the heritage value of this building and the lack of transparency behind this decision", and that the decision "negates the critical role of heritage conservation in Singapore's national planning agenda and undermines decades of painstaking efforts by state agencies, building owners, heritage stakeholders, professionals and builders, and

1690-462: The lulav , the hexagram was not originally a uniquely Jewish symbol. The hexagram , being an inherently simple geometric construction, has been used in various motifs throughout human history, which were not exclusively religious. It appeared as a decorative motif in both 4th-century synagogues and Christian churches in the Galilee region. Gershom Scholem writes that the term "seal of Solomon"

1755-510: The 11th century as a title of the God of Israel , independent of the use of the symbol. The phrase occurs independently as a divine title in the Siddur , the traditional Jewish prayer book, where it poetically refers to the divine protection of ancient King David and the anticipated restoration of his dynastic house, perhaps based on Psalm 18, which is attributed to David, and in which God is compared to

1820-748: The 11th century, in the decoration of the carpet page of the famous Tanakh manuscript, the Leningrad Codex dated 1008. Similarly, the symbol illuminates a medieval Tanakh manuscript dated 1307 belonging to Rabbi Yosef bar Yehuda ben Marvas from Toledo, Spain. A hexagram has been noted on a Jewish tombstone in Taranto , Apulia in Southern Italy , which may date as early as the third century CE . The Jews of Apulia were noted for their scholarship in Kabbalah , which has been connected to

1885-589: The 17th century, and from there spread to much of Eastern Europe . In the 19th century, it came to be adopted by European Jews as a symbol to represent Jewish religion or identity in the same manner the Christian cross identified that religion's believers. The symbol became representative of the worldwide Zionist community after it was chosen as the central symbol on a flag at the First Zionist Congress in 1897, due to its usage in some Jewish communities and its lack of specifically religious connotations. It

1950-652: The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Magen David Adom was boycotted by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which refused to grant the organization membership because "it was [...] argued that having an emblem used by only one country was contrary to the principles of universality." Other commentators said the ICRC did not recognize the medical and humanitarian use of this Jewish symbol,

2015-414: The Jewish ghetto , a marker was fashioned which separated the two communities. The Christians were identified by the cross and the Jews by the hexagram. When the Jews of Vienna were expelled in 1669, many refugees fled to other cities which in turn used the symbol for their community seal. The symbol became representative of the worldwide Zionist community, and later the broader Jewish community, after it

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2080-603: The Jewish community's entrepreneurial spirit." According to Roots, which is published by the National Heritage Board , the building was "frequented by colonial governors who would sit on the roof of the building to catch races at Race Course Road held every Sunday." In the early 1960s, the Rex Cinema "utilised the Ellison Building's roof to display their lighted movie signs". In 1989, the building

2145-410: The Jews of Prague were again granted a flag, in recognition of their contribution to the city's defense. That flag showed a yellow hexagram on a red background, with a "Swedish star" placed in the center of the hexagram. In the 1650s, the Jews of Vienna adopted a seal with the hexagram on it, likely choosing the motif used on the seal for the Jews of Prague. When a boundary was fixed between Vienna and

2210-399: The Jews of the late Second Temple period provide "a closer approximation to the ideal type of the nation [...] than perhaps anywhere else in the ancient world." He adds that this observation "must make us wary of pronouncing too readily against the possibility of the nation, and even a form of religious nationalism , before the onset of modernity." Historian David Goodblatt writes that there

2275-754: The Mt Sophia/Selegie area." The authority also wrote that both the building and the next-door Rex Cinema "give a distinctive character to the important trunk road which leads out of the City Centre and towards the Kandang Kerbau/Serangoon Road area." The building was constructed by businessman and leader of the Jewish community in Singapore Isaac Ellison in 1924 for "commercial purposes" and to "embody

2340-570: The Promised Land carrying the badge of honor. David Wolffsohn (1856–1914), a businessman prominent in the early Zionist movement, was aware that the nascent Zionist movement had no official flag, and that the design proposed by Theodor Herzl was gaining no significant support, wrote: At the behest of our leader Herzl, I came to Basle to make preparations for the Zionist Congress. Among many other problems that occupied me then

2405-498: The Rex Cinema would remain untouched. In August 2016, the Land Transport Authority announced that three of the building's units, 235, 237, and 239 Selegie Road, would be demolished to make way for the construction of the expressway in an "exceptional course of action". The units were to be reconstructed following the completion of the corridor. However, this decision was criticised by local heritage groups such as

2470-616: The Shield of David painted upon it. That is how the national flag, that flew over Congress Hall, came into being. In the early 20th century, the symbol began to be used to express Jewish affiliations in sports. Hakoah Vienna was a Jewish sports club founded in Vienna, Austria, in 1909 whose teams competed with the Star of David on the chest of their uniforms, and won the 1925 Austrian League soccer championship. Similarly, The Philadelphia Sphas basketball team in Philadelphia (whose name

2535-575: The Star of David prominently displayed at the front of the synagogues near the Ark containing the Torah scrolls. Magen David Adom (MDA) ("Red Star of David" or, translated literally, "Red Shield of David") is Israel's only official emergency medical, disaster, and ambulance service. It has been an official member of the International Committee of the Red Cross since June 2006. According to

2600-472: The U.S.; policy decisions (in areas such as funding, programming, etc.) have been shaped in part due to studies on Jewish identity. According to the social-psychologist Simon Herman, antisemitism plays a part in shaping Jewish identity. This view is echoed by religious leaders such as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks who writes that modern Jewish communities and the modern Jewish identity are deeply influenced by antisemitism . Right-wing antisemitism , for example,

2665-556: The United States with the publication of Marshall Sklare 's "Lakeville studies". Among other topics explored in the studies was Sklare's notion of a "good Jew". The "good Jew" was essentially an idealized form of Jewish identity as expressed by the Lakeville respondents. Today, sociological measurements of Jewish identity have become the concern of the Jewish Federations who have sponsored numerous community studies across

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2730-566: The arch of the 3rd–4th century Khirbet Shura synagogue. A hexagram found in a religious context can be seen in a manuscript of the Hebrew Bible from 11th-century Cairo. Its association as a distinctive symbol for the Jewish people and their religion dates to 17th-century Prague. In the 19th century, the symbol began to be widely used by the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe , ultimately coming to represent Jewish identity or religious beliefs. It became representative of Zionism after it

2795-690: The center (under the influence of the description of space found in the Sefer Yetsira : Up, Down, East, West, South, North, and Center), or the Six Sefirot of the Male ( Zeir Anpin ) united with the Seventh Sefirot of the Female (Nukva). Some say that one triangle represents the ruling tribe of Judah and the other the former ruling tribe of Benjamin . It is also seen as a dalet and yud ,

2860-462: The early Middle Ages , which is why most modern authors have seen Islamic mysticism as the source of the medieval Spanish Kabbalists ' use of the hexagram. The name "Star of David" originates from King David of ancient Israel. Only around one millennium later, however, did the star begin to be used as a symbol to identify Jewish communities, a tradition that seems to have started in Prague before

2925-459: The elements of the plate for the Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram: above the three sefirot "Crown", "Wisdom", and "Insight", below the other seven. Similarly, M. Costa wrote that M. Gudemann and other researchers in the 1920s claimed that Isaac Luria was influential in turning the Star of David into a national Jewish emblem by teaching that the elements of the plate for

2990-420: The masculine Zer Anpin correspond to the six items on the seder plate, while the seventh sfira being the feminine Malkhut corresponds to the plate itself. However, these seder-plate triangles are parallel, one above the other, and do not actually form a hexagram. According to G. S. Oegema (1996): Isaac Luria provided the hexagram with a further mystical meaning. In his book Etz Chayim he teaches that

3055-495: The model of ancient Israel found in the Hebrew Bible, provided the world with the original concept of nationhood which later influenced Christian nations. However, following Jerusalem's destruction in the first century CE, Jews ceased to be a political entity and did not resemble a traditional nation-state for almost two millennia. Despite this, they maintained their national identity through collective memory, religion and sacred texts, even without land or political power, and remained

3120-542: The modern era. This view is echoed by political scientist Tom Garvin , who writes that "something strangely like modern nationalism is documented for many peoples in medieval times and in classical times as well," citing the ancient Jews as one of several "obvious examples", alongside the classical Greeks , the Gauls and the British Celts . Adrian Hastings argued that Jews are the "true proto-nation", that through

3185-493: The notion that their faith is meant to be spread throughout all of humanity, regardless of nationality. However, Jewish identity is firmly intertwined with Jewish ancestry dating back to the historical Kingdom of Israel , which was largely depopulated by the Roman Empire c. first century CE, leading to what is known as today as the Jewish Diaspora . Jewish identity began to gain the attention of Jewish sociologists in

3250-622: The progress in conservation achieved so far." The authorities later announced that they would be working with local heritage groups to "retain as much of the Ellison Building as possible." In February 2018, it was announced that the plans for the construction had been revised such that only one of the building's units would be demolished and rebuilt. 1°18′17″N 103°51′01″E  /  1.3046°N 103.8503°E  / 1.3046; 103.8503 Star of David The Star of David ( Hebrew : מָגֵן דָּוִד , romanized :  Magen David , lit.   'Shield of David')

3315-465: The several ethne living in the Greco-Roman world . Van Maaren utilizes the six attributes that co-ethnics share, as identified by Hutchinson and Smith, to show why ancient Jews may be considered an ethnic group in modern terminology. Those include: Anthony D. Smith , an historical sociologist considered one of the founders of the interdisciplinary field of nationalism studies , wrote that

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3380-509: The sign, called the "Shield of David", is placed beside the name of each angel. This book is of Karaite , and not of Rabbinic Jewish origin, and it does not describe the shape of the sign in any way. Jewish identity Jewish identity is the objective or subjective sense of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish . It encompasses elements of nationhood , ethnicity , religion , and culture . Broadly defined, Jewish identity does not rely on whether one

3445-422: The status of the Jews in words that Greek readers would understand, Philo depicted them as immigrants who laid the groundwork for "colonies" ( Greek : apoikiai ), with Jerusalem serving as their "mother-city" ( metropolis) . According to Kasher, Alexandria in this circumstance could only be regarded as a homeland in the political sense because it was the site of the establishment of a Jewish "colony," structured as

3510-504: The two letters assigned to Judah. There are 12 Vav, or "men", representing the 12 tribes or patriarchs of Israel. In 1354, King of Bohemia Charles IV approved for the Jews of Prague a red flag with a hexagram. In 1460, the Jews of Ofen (Buda, now part of Budapest , Hungary ) received King Matthias Corvinus with a red flag on which were two Shields of David and two stars. In the first Hebrew prayer book, printed in Prague in 1512,

3575-582: The use of the Star of David. Medieval Kabbalistic grimoires show hexagrams among the tables of segulot , but without identifying them as "Shield of David". In the Renaissance, in the 16th-century Land of Israel, the book Ets Khayim conveys the Kabbalah of Ha-Ari ( Rabbi Isaac Luria ) who arranges the traditional items on the seder plate for Passover into two triangles, where they explicitly correspond to Jewish mystical concepts. The six sfirot of

3640-650: The words "strong-willed" and "strong-minded", major leaguer Mike "Superjew" Epstein drew a Star of David on his baseball glove, and major leaguer Ron Blomberg had a Star of David emblazoned in the knob of his bat which is on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame . NBA basketball star Amar'e Stoudemire , who says he is spiritually and culturally Jewish, had a Star of David tattoo put on his left hand in 2010. NFL football defensive end Igor Olshansky has Star of David tattoos on each side of his neck, near his shoulders. Israeli golfer Laetitia Beck displays

3705-503: Was chosen as the central symbol for a Jewish national flag at the First Zionist Congress in 1897. By the end of World War I , it was an internationally accepted symbol for the Jewish people, used on the gravestones of fallen Jewish soldiers. Today, the star is the central symbol on the national flag of the State of Israel . Unlike the menorah , the Lion of Judah , the shofar and

3770-757: Was accelerated by the Christianization of the Roman Empire. In Christian theology , ethnic identity held little significance, and Jews were primarily valued for their religious heritage, seen as foundational to the development of the new covenant . This ideological framework further influenced perceptions of Jewish identity, emphasizing religious rather than ethnic or national aspects. Jewish identity can be cultural , religious, or through ancestry. There are religious, cultural, and ancestral components to Jewish identity due to its fundamental non-proselytizing nature, as opposed to Christian or Muslim identity which are both "universal" religions in that they ascribe to

3835-461: Was adopted by Jews from Islamic magic literature, while he could not assert with certainty whether the term "shield of David" originated in Islamic or Jewish mysticism. Leonora Leet argues though that not just the terminology, but the esoteric philosophy behind it had pre-Islamic Jewish roots. She also shows that Jewish alchemists were the teachers of their Muslim and Christian counterparts, and that

3900-515: Was an acronym of its founding South Philadelphia Hebrew Association) wore a large Star of David on their jerseys to proudly proclaim their Jewish identity, as they competed in the first half of the 20th century. In boxing, Benny "the Ghetto Wizard" Leonard (who said he felt as though he was fighting for all Jews) fought with a Star of David embroidered on his trunks in the 1910s. World heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer fought with

3965-435: Was chosen to represent the First Zionist Congress in 1897. A year before the congress, Herzl had written in his 1896 Der Judenstaat : We have no flag, and we need one. If we desire to lead many men, we must raise a symbol above their heads. I would suggest a white flag, with seven golden stars. The white field symbolizes our pure new life; the stars are the seven golden hours of our working-day . For we shall march into

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4030-523: Was not considered an exclusively Jewish symbol until after it began to be used on the gravestones of fallen Jewish soldiers in World War I . The hexagram does appear occasionally in Jewish contexts since antiquity, apparently as a decorative motif. For example, in Israel, there is a stone bearing a hexagram from the arch of the 3rd–4th century Khirbet Shura synagogue in the Galilee . It also appears on

4095-479: Was one that contained something of the essence of the Jewish problem. What flag would we hang in the Congress Hall? Then an idea struck me. We have a flag—and it is blue and white. The talith (prayer shawl) with which we wrap ourselves when we pray: that is our symbol. Let us take this Talith from its bag and unroll it before the eyes of Israel and the eyes of all nations. So I ordered a blue and white flag with

4160-625: Was put up for sale, with then-owner Steven Ellison claiming that as a result of the Control of Rent Act , which had prevented the family from increasing the building's rent, the Ellison family could no longer afford to maintain the building. It was acquired by property developer Dennis Aw. Both the Ellison Building and the Rex Cinema were gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority on 5 December 2008. This

4225-490: Was reportedly a result of the government's plans for the construction of the North–South Corridor , which would affect both the Ellison Building and the Rex Cinema. In a November 2016 statement by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee , the buildings were conserved with the construction plans in mind and that the authorities intended to minimise the impact on the buildings. The plans were later revised such that

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