Name and flag of Israel

The name “Israel” is rooted in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, where Jacob is renamed Israel after wrestling with a mysterious adversary ("a man", and later “God” according to Genesis 32:24-30; or “the angel", according to Hosea 12:4). Israel means “he who has wrestled with God.” The Jews, the nation fathered by Jacob, were then called “the children of Israel” or the “Israelites.”

The Israeli flag is rooted in Jewish tradition. The white background symbolizes purity. The symbols on the flag are two stripes-one on the top and one on the bottom-and the Star of David emblem adorning the center. The stripes and blue color are inspired by the tallit (a Jewish prayer shawl, used mainly in the shachrit (morning) and musaf (additional prayers, on a holiday or the Sabbath).