In 1956, Rav Moshe Feinstein, the preeminent American halachic authority of the second half of the 20th century, received a fascinating question. There was a group of Orthodox Jews who refused to pray in a certain local shul and wanted to start a breakaway minyan. They were hoping Rav Moshe would approve of their decision.
As we all know, it is very easy for Jews to come up with reasons why they won’t daven in a particular shul and why they absolutely must start a breakaway minyan. The mechitza is too tall, the mechitza is too small. There’s too much talking; there is not enough talking. They never have kiddush, they waste their money on kiddush. You name it, if there is a shul, some people will find a reason not to daven there. But you might never guess what this group’s issue was.
Their issue was with the Israeli and American flags that stood prominently in the front of the shul. They argued that those flags were objects of worship; it was a form of avodah zara. How could one daven in a room that displayed idolatry? As bizarre as this may seem to you, it’s worth noting that over the past two decades, there has been pushback in Christian circles around the placement of flags in churches for the same reasons.
Rav Moshe Feinstein ultimately concludes his response to this question by stating: “Those who want to make a minyan elsewhere because of this and think they are doing something great, are acting inappropriately. It is politically motivated and driven by the evil inclination and Satan.” Next time someone wants to start a breakaway minyan, show them this piece.
Before some of you get all excited, it’s worth noting that Rav Moshe does not love the practice of placing flags in a shul. Though he says they should not be removed if it would cause any arguments in the community, he calls the practice of placing flags in a shul foolish.
And it begs the question, where did this practice come from? Some of you who travel to other countries may have noticed that in most countries, they do not display flags, certainly not flags of the host country, in their shuls. Why do so many American shuls have American flags? And, should we keep our flag in our shul?
So let’s learn a little history. Americans are known to be the most flag-obsessed country in the world. It was an American flag flying over Fort McHenry that inspired the Star-Spangled Banner. When the Confederates bombed Fort Sumter in 1861, it caused the main flagpole to break. A picture of the broken flagpole was the image that was used to raise funds for the Union army. During this time, a law that prohibited bringing American flags to the battlefield was reversed and Union soldiers would regularly march into battle under the red-white-and-blue. And most notably, whereas other countries wave their flags on government buildings, in the U.S. you will find flags on private residences and businesses.
Churches and shuls started placing flags in their sanctuaries around World War I. In addition to it being a time of nationalistic fervor, it was especially important for religious groups that were being accused of being sympathetic to enemies of the United States to demonstrate how patriotic they were. Many shuls with Russian and German members were extremely careful to show that they considered themselves American.
The next time there was a noted spike in placing flags in shuls was in 1948. After the establishment of the State of Israel, many shuls wanted to show their pride and connection to a Jewish State. But to place a foreign flag in their shul is bad form. So a number of shuls decided to place both an Israeli flag and an American one to show that our connection to Israel does not detract from our connection to America.
Rav Moshe Feinstein was skeptical about the appropriateness of placing a flag in such a holy place. A shul is not a place to make a political statement, even if it’s an important one. A sanctuary is not where we proclaim to the world how connected we feel to this land. If that is the symbolism of this flag, then I, too, am less than enthusiastic about it being here.
But there is another very famous letter sent by Rav Moshe Feinstein. This letter written in 1984 is addressed to all Jews living in America. He forcefully encourages every Jew to vote in elections, and he sees doing so as an expression of a most fundamental Jewish value: “On reaching the shores of the United States, Jews found a safe haven. The rights guaranteed by the … Constitution and Bill of Rights have allowed us the freedom to practice our religion without interference and to live in this republic in safety. A fundamental principle of Judaism is hakaras hatov – recognizing benefits afforded us and giving expression to our appreciation.”
Indeed, we have a lot to be grateful for. Not only are we grateful for the freedom to practice our faith, which has been a centerpiece of the American way since this country came into being. But for a president of the united States to assist Israel in bombing the nuclear plants of Iran – undoubtedly the greatest existential threat we have faced in the past 50 years, despite the pushback that he received from Democrats and Republicans alike, and despite whatever misgivings you may have of him as a person and/ or a politician, to not say thank you at a time like this would be the most un-Jewish thing possible.
So no, our shul’s flag is not going anywhere. Not only that, but we should find more opportunities to wave the American flag. I just went out and bought an American flag magnet for my car. Because it’s not about being patriotic – I am not even an American citizen! It’s about gratitude, something that Rav Moshe described as a fundamental principle of Judaism, and I, and all of us, must be so incredibly grateful for the good that this country has brought to the world and bestowed upon us as a people.
