Simchat Torah flags

Simchat Torah is all about Jewish Joy. For generations, Jews around the world have found creative ways to bring their love of the Torah into the holiday festivities. Dancing. Singing. Raising the Torah high. And...waving flags.

Flags have been with us since the beginning, rooted in the Torah, with the Twelve Tribes of Israel gathering in the desert beneath their own distinct banner, or flag. The tradition of waving flags on Simchat Torah started in the 16th century, with clever Eastern European communities using flags as a way to include their youngest family members in the holiday fun.

Today, you can find Simchat Torah flags in Jewish communities around the world. Their flags are not just religious symbols - they’re cultural expressions of where they come from, whether ultra-orthodox communities, secular Israeli kibbutzim, etc.

In this video I'm showing some examples of Simchat Torah flags across generations and locations, including Vilnius, Lithuania, in 1864, a flag from Jerusalem in 1923, and across the 20th century.

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Credits:
Simchat Torah flags from the National Library of Israel
Music: "Simchat Torah", from the album "Miriam Jacobi sings Nachum Nardi's Holiday songs for Children", Tikva Records, circa 1960s.