Emblem of Israel
official insignia of the State of Israel
The emblem of Israel (Hebrew: סֵמֶל מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, romanized: Sēmel Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl) depicts a temple menorah surrounded by an olive branch on each side, with the word Israel written in Hebrew (ישראל) below it without niqqud. While it is commonly displayed in blue and white, the emblem has appeared in alternative colour combinations depending on the use, such as on the Israeli Presidential Standard (see below).
History
The State of Israel adopted the symbol after a design competition held in 1948. The design is based on the winning entry submitted by Gabriel and Maxim Shamir's proposal, with elements taken from other submissions, including entries from Oteh Walisch, W. Struski, Itamar David, Yerachmiel Schechter, and Willie Wind, whose entry won the first design competition. The emblem was officially adopted on February 10, 1949.
Symbolism
The image used on the emblem is based on a depiction of the menorah on the Arch of Titus. The menorah was used in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem and has been a symbol of Judaism since ancient times. It symbolizes universal enlightenment, based on what is written in Isaiah 60: "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn".
According to Allon Gal,
The menorah (the seven-branched candelabrum), described in the Bible as a prominent feature of the Tabernacle erected by the People of Israel in the wilderness, as well as in the Jerusalem Temple, had for centuries served as a Jewish symbol in synagogues, and had been historically used as an emblem by a variety of Zionist organisations and associations. Eventually, it was adopted as the symbol of the State of Israel.
“Emblem of Israel” enters the record as official insignia of the State of Israel. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Emblem, Israel and official can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q184991. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1948 and 1949.
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This entry incorporates text from “Emblem of Israel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.