The flag may also have been based on a blue and white flag first flown in 1885 in the village of Rishon LeZion. The Zionist movement, which designed the flag, modeled the flag on traditional Jewish prayer shawls, which utilize the same blue and white striped pattern. The flag was designed in 1891, not long after Frankl’s poem was published.

He goes on to say that white represents the “radiance of the priesthood” while blue brings to mind the “splendors of the firmament.” It’s quite possible that these two colors gained popularity amongst Jewish people, particularly for use over Hanukkah, due to the poem.Īnother explanation for the use of blue and white is that these are the two colors that make up the flag of Israel.

In the poem, Frankl writes that blue and white are the colors of Judah. That year, the poem “Judah’s Colours” was published by Ludwig August Frankl, a Jewish poet. Why Blue and White Colors?īlue and white were first used as colors representing the Jewish faith in 1864. Many people, however, may not know why these colors are used to symbolize the holiday or what they represent to those of the Jewish faith. During the holiday season, the colors blue and white or silver are a common sight, and most people recognize these colors as a symbol of Hanukkah.

Blue white gold colorset