# Flying the Israeli Flag in American Synagogues **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 13, 2002, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042 "2002-10-13T03:13:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042/41 "2002-10-18T02:46:23Z")
For purposes of comparison: I’ve been to plenty of Muslim mosques and Hindu temples in the United States, and seen the Stars and Stripes there, but never once seen a Saudi Arabian or Indian flag displayed in any of them. (I did once know an African-American Muslim who flew the Saudi Arabian flag from a flagpole in his front yard, but that was because it has the declaration of faith on it, nothing to do with the country of Saudi Arabia itself.) ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042/42 "2002-10-18T03:18:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > **For purposes of comparison: I’ve been to plenty of Muslim mosques and Hindu temples in the United States, and seen the Stars and Stripes there, but never once seen a Saudi Arabian or Indian flag displayed in any of them.** Of course not. Those aren’t even analogous. Saudi Arabia is not the seat of the Muslim religion in the same way that the Vatican is, and it is not the homeland of Muslims the way Israel is for Jews. Why would a Turkish or Pakistani Muslim fly the flag of Saudi Arabia? Or a mosque for that matter? Same deal with Hindu temples. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042/43 "2002-10-18T12:44:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\* > Why fly the flag of Saudi Arabia? Or a mosque for that matter? > > Same deal with Hindu temples. \*\* Er, Mecca is in Saudi Arabia? ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042/44 "2002-10-18T12:54:18Z")
I’ve been to plenty of temples. Never have I seen any national flags inside them… Haven’t been to the U.S, yet. Is this a typical american thing? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042/45 "2002-10-18T14:45:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shodan \* > \*\*And I must confess that I was the one suggesting that the US flag be moved out there. I also don’t sing patriotic songs when they are included in the service (the US national anthem, and so forth). \*\* Amen. I don’t think patriotic songs have any place in church, and even prayers for the armed forces strike me as odd unless phrased peacefully. My (Catholic) church must fly the American and Vatican flags too but I honestly can’t remember having seen them displayed prominently. Definitely when I was a kid they were right up front. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mehitabel \* > \*\*And often, but not always, a Catholic Church will have the flag of the Vatican (which to be fair is also a sovereign state) hanging up alongside the American flag. It doesn’t mean that the people passing underneath that flag believe everything the Pope says, and don’t practice birth control and/or have the occasional divorce. But it does tie us in to a worldwide community of believers, reminding us to look beyond our comfortable American lives. \*\* While the Pope may articulate various guidelines for moral behavior, it’s not like he speaks in isolation; these guidelines are represented by the Church throughout the world. These standards of morality are supposed to hold true even in “the land of the free”, where self-determination and liberty are not supposed to override responsibility for morality. ::climbs off self-righteous soapbox:: ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042/46 "2002-10-18T15:01:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carnivorousplant \* > \*\*Er, Mecca is in Saudi Arabia? \*\* Really? I didn’t know that. Oh wait…yes I did. Your point is? Just because Mecca is in Saudi Arabia, doesn’t mean that a Turkish Muslim has any love for Saudi Arabia itself or thinks of it as some sort of national/ethnic homeland the way Israel is for Jews. In the same way, Saudi Arabia is not solely a state reserved for the upper echelons of a hierarchical religious organization like the Catholic Church. Nor is Mecca. Hence…not analogous comparisons. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042/47 "2002-10-18T15:10:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\* > Really? I didn’t know that. Oh wait…yes I did. Your point is? > \*\* That is why someone might (in error) fly the Saudi Arabian flag in a Mosque. I did not mean to imply that that is why they should, only that is a reason why they might. Perhaps I stated my response badly. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042/48 "2002-10-18T15:24:51Z")
Ah. I see. I take back my snarkey tone. But anyway, I doubt a mosque would make that error, as they are supposed to be knowledgeable about this sort of thing. But you are right…it definitely could happen. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042/49 "2002-10-18T15:37:21Z")
When I was a kid in New York (late 60s-mid-Seventies), it was very common to see American flags in Catholic churches, and they were often part of the initial procession. I NEVER recall seeing a Vatican flag, however. Today, on the other hand, it’s become rare to see American flags in Catholic churches, except for special occasions. If a Sunday happens to coincide with the 4th of July or Memorial Day, you may see Old Glory at a Catholic Church. At a Thanksgiving Day Mass, they may sing “America the Beautiful.” And when a Catholic veteran dies, it’s common to see American flags flown (or draped over the coffin) at a Catholic funeral Mass. But today, the Church as an institution is generally not supportive of American foreign policy (especially when the Republicans are in power), and tends to discourage mixing of religion and American nationalism. There’s a widespread feeling among Church leaders that American patriotism is contrary to the values of the Gospel. If that leads to suspicions that American Catholics have “divided loyalties,” the Church hierarchy is willing to chance it. (For what it’s worth, ordinary American Catholics are far more likely to be hawks on foreign policy issues than their bishops). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-israeli-flag-in-american-synagogues/132042.md?page=2)