"Our Heaven Born Banner": United States Jewry and the Sacralization of the American Flag

Foreign visitors to America are frequently surprised to discover the nation’s flag adorning a house of worship or its grounds. Sometimes the American flag is flown in front of a church, but often the flag appears in a lobby, vestry room, or even inside the sanctuary itself. American synagogues have adopted a much more uniform practice. In most American synagogues, the flag enjoys a place of honor on the bimah, usually standing in visual proximity to the Aron Ha-kodesh. At some point during the 20^th century – increasingly after 1948 – the flag of the state of Israel began to appear alongside the “Stars and Stripes” in most American synagogues. Today, in contrast to synagogue customs in most other nations, the national flag is an expected presence on the bimah of most American synagogues.

The history of how the American flag earned its distinctive place in Jewish houses of prayer has never been formally reconstructed. This paper will explore the antecedents of this uniquely American Jewish practice, tracing its roots to the early national period and showing how certain events in American history influenced the custom’s development. The ubiquitous presence of American flags in Jewish houses of worship also serves as a symbolic reminder that the teachings of Judaism and values of America’s civil religion are fully harmonious and mutually beneficial.