Foreign flags and emblems


Only less than a handful of foreign flags and emblems appeared on Israeli stamps. The leading foreign flag was the USA flag which appeared on 3 stamps, one of which together with the flags of the UK and USSR. But the first foreign  flag that appeared on Israeli flag was also the "mother of all flags", the Danish flag.

The "Dannebrog" (see FOTW) appeared on a stamp that was issued on Oct. 23, 1973, for the 30th anniversary of the rescue of the Jews in Denmark. The stamp commemorates the courage of the Danish people who saved most of
the Danish Jews by transferring them in fishing boats to Sweden.

Artist: A. Berg [Dannebrog stamp]

Jarig Bakker wrote 8 June 1999: I was told that the Danes decided to wear all the MD when the Germans ordered that all Jews had to wear them. The king rode out of his palace wearing the MD instead of the usual insignia. The Germans left the Jews alone... (more or less)

Dov Gutterman wrote 9 June 1999: The story is true.  However the Germans got hold of the Jewish community papers and got the list of Jews.  When the Danish underground found out that the Germans were planning an operation to get all the Jews (They were foolish enough to notify the Danish police about it... and expected their help as they got from the French police... The police did help... the underground.) So the Underground arrange a quick transfer in one night. They took advantage of the fact that the Danish fishermen were fishing side by side with Swedish fishermen and they met at night and moved the Jews from the Danish boats to the Swedish.

The Danes are the only nation that got the Yad-Vashem award for the whole
nation, other then isolated cases in other occupied countries.

The USA come next. Apart from the ZOA flag that was already mentioned, the USA flag appeared on the "200 years to the American revolution" stamp (issued Apr. 25, 1976.  Artist: A. Lukac) [bicentenary of the American Revolution]

USA flag together with the flags of  the United Kingdom and USSR appeared
also on "50 years after the end of WW2" which appeared on Apr. 25, 1995.

[50 years after the end of WW2]

One stamp also had imaginary flags.  The stamp that was issued in March, 11,
1968 when Israel hosted a football tournament, included imaginary flags arranged in the shape of a football.

artist: A. Weishoff [imaginary footballflags]






Foreign emblems didn't appear on Israeli stamps unless you regard the 12
European stars and the UN emblem as such. [European emblem]
 
 
Comments Back to Index
Israeli flag on stamps Pennants on stamps
Other flags on stamps


  1