As per command of our leader, Herzl, I had arrived to Basel (Switzerland) to make all the arrangements for the first Zionist Congress. One of the many questions that concerned me was one that entailed one of the huge Hebrew problems: with which flag shall we decorate the House of Congress? What will its color be? We have no flag!

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This matter pained me greatly. There is a need to produce a flag, yet which colors shall we choose?  And suddenly, a thought came to my mind: We actually have a flag that is blue and white: The tallit with which we adorn ourselves in our prayers; The tallit is our symbol! Let us take out the tallit from its holster and spread it out to the eyes of Israel and to the eyes of all of the nations. I then ordered a blue and white flag with a Star of David on it. And this is how our national flag was created.