Gibeon

Ephrayim Stern published stars of David (surrounding peacocks) engraved on jar handles at Gibeon, Israel, and dated them to the late period of the Israeli Kingdom of the First Temple 6th century B.C.E. He reckoned that they were copies of Greek emblems from Thasos and Carthago that served for the marking of wines.

From: Kadmoniot, 1973, Israel at the end of the period of the kingship, archeological survey, pages 2-17.

I find it very interesting that the same symbol served the beer guilds in the Middle Ages and that it was the symbol for alcohol in alchemy, since it combined the symbols for fire and water; hence, it meant distillation. Until recently, therefore, it appeared on shops selling brandy.

=
Photo courtesy of Ephrayim Stern.

Zoroaster

Professor Michael Costa wrote in his book about the golden section,Solomon’s seal and the Star of David [Poalim,1990 page 154] that the origin of the Magen David was in the Persian religion of Zoroaster in which the triangle with the edge turning upwards symbolizes the good God Ahur Mazda whereas the triangle with the edge turning downwards symbolizes the evil God Ahriman. In the Zoroastrian hexagram the first is on top o the second in order to symbolize the victory of the good over the evil.
It is interesting that Zoroaster and King David lived approximately in the same generation and possibly one of them influenced the other.

Dr. Max Bodenheimer

Shulamit Gad recounts in her book (published in 2006) King David and the Power of Psalms in page 709 that Dr. Bodenheimer offered Hertzl in 1898 to put on the national flag twelve stars as symbol of the twelve tribes and Hertzl responded that the twelve tribes are already hinted in the twelve points of the Magen David.

Star of David Letters

Photo is courtesy of Nathaniel Yakov Daniel.

All rights reserved to Nathaniel Yakov Daniel 2007.

Nathaniel Yakov Daniel has nowadays a restaurant in Tel Aviv, Israel, but for many years he was a goldsmith. 27 years ago he came to Israel from Tajikistan and had to learn the Hebrew language. In order to memorize the letters he found them all in the Star of David, except for the first letter, Aleph, which was discovered by Joseph Cohen whom he taught how to be a goldsmith.
The first character Nathaniel found was Lamed and all the remainder he found within a few minutes. He didn’t publish his discovery because he thought that everybody knew it already.

Nathaniel Yakov Daniel told me why in his opinion king David chose the Magen David. King David was a poet and also a man of war. When he fought he had to be rapt in the war and not in prayers. The Magen David contains all the characters from which prayers are composed. In order to understand this there’s a story about a Jew in a remote village in Russia who wanted to go to the synagogue in a nearby city but missed the train. Since he didn’t have a prayer book he made a deal with GOD that he will sit on the floor and mourn and pray what he knows and the Lord will complete the missing parts. He said all day long the alphabet. Later it was revealed to the Baal Shem Tov, the famous Rabbi, that this prayer reached the highest heavens.
Anther explanation is that in ancient times each king had a drawing on his shield to make it possible for his soldiers to identify him. On king David’s shield was the Magen David also in order to remind the soldiers to pray while they fought.
Why did Jews choose the Magen David to be their emblem? - Because it contains all the characters in the most condensed manner.

Red Origami

Photo of Star of David Red Origami is courtesy of "georigami". model created by Fred Rohm.

Colombian Peso Origami

Photo is courtesy of "georigami" who published it on Flickr and wrote to me:

The star of David on my pictures is an origami model created by Fred Rohm from a dollar bill. I modified it to be done with a 1.000 Colombian pesos bill. Diagrams of the model are available at some magazine that I don't own, so I figured it out playing around with some hints I found on the internet. I added mine to the group.

Readers who know how to make an Origami from a 200 NIS bank note are invited to send me the photo and I promise I'll publish it here.

Ramla Stamp

Ramla Stamp was issued on October 18, 1970.
Designers: brothers Gabriel and Max Shamir. They created a white Star of David on a blue background under an olive branch that symbolizes the good relationships between the Jewish and Arab citizens of Ramla, and a cogwheel that symbolizes the industrial aspect of the city.

Pushkes

Photo of Star of David on Tzedakah boxes (a.k.a. pushke) is courtesy of Liora who published it on Flickr. She herself doesn’t use it for Tzedakah but as a place for her doodles, drawings, and other creations. The Yiddish word, pushke is derived from the Polish word puszka and means: saving box.

Mogador

Photo is courtesy of "time fly". He published it on Flickr with the caption:
There has been a Jewish settlement in Essaouira since before the Phonecians. The quarter ...is still in good shape, but homes and buildings are identified by a 6-pointed star.

"time fly" wrote to me that this photo was taken in the Moroccan seaside little town of Essaouia. The Jewish community there dates from around 1700.

Snow Flake

Photo of a snow flake in the shape of a Star of David is courtesy of "csavules" who published it on Flickr under the nice title 
Winter Meet Autumn, Autumn Meet Winter
and wrote in the comments section:

I use a 50mm 1.8 II fitted with a +10 B+W macro lens and of course a tripod. Oh... and I am lucky ;-)

Anahata

Photo of hexagram as the fourth chakra is courtesy of "Siuloir-Domhanda" who published it on Flickr. The Green color represents  relationships with people close to your heart

Let My People Go

Let my People Go Stamp
A Blue Star of David on a closed door and under it the proclamation: Let My People Go in Russian, Arabic English and Hebrew
Day of issue: 07/03/1972
Designer: Israeli artist Moshe Pereg
It seems fit to quote here the famous African-American spiritual song

When Israel was in Egypt land,
Let my people go.
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
Let my people go.
Oh go down, Moses,
Way down into Egypt's land,
Tell old Pharao,
Let my people go.

First Zionist Congress Souvenir Sheet

There’s a Star of David (and an icon of Herzl and an Israeli flag) on the Souvenir Sheet issued on 03/09/1996.

the First Zionist Congress was held in the Casino building in Basel, which is shown in the center of the sheet. 

Composition

Photo of a black Star of David window on azure wall is courtesy of "César Augusto" who published it on Flickr. It was taken in Algarve, south of Portugal, from the façade of a lone house where nobody lives now, where César Augusto used to spend his holidays every year. I like the composition, and the uniqueness of the making of the symbol from stones cut in order to fit its contour.

Jewish Bookplates

Photo of Stars of David on the Eichthal Coat of Arms is copied from Jewish Encyclopedia

I feel that Jewish Bookplates are a promising source for Star of David searchers like me. E.g.:
The Bookplate Collection at The Jewish Theological Seminary Library which has about 3000 items.

Zionist Wall Hanging

A Star of David on a stamp titled Zionist Congress - 100 Years Since The 1st Congress.

The stamp shows a wall hanging of Herzl on David's Tower. The design was inspired by the style of the artist E.M. Lilien.

Yellow Star of David In Jewish Art

Dr. Abraham D. Lavender from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in Florida International University wrote an article titled Art as an Expression of Sephardic and Crypto-Jewish Identity. Here’s an excerpt about yellow star of david in jewish art:

 Artistic expressions of Ha Shoah generally did not begin on a large scale until the 1980s because of the emotionalism and shock of the annihilation, but now this is by far the most frequent and most emotional subject (Baigell, p. ix). Previously unused or little used themes now are frequently used: for example, railroad tracks, boxcars, burning buildings, and the yellow Star of David. In fact, Ouaknin states that since Ha Shoah the yellow Star of David has acquired a noble title and bearing as a reaction to it being a symbol of Nazi annihilation.

Korner's Folly

Photo is courtesy of "allstarstuff' who published it on Flickr and wrote to me:

It is part of the floor in a small area of a house in Kernersville, NC called Korner's Folly. I'm not sure that it was meant to be a religious symbol; given the nature of the house, my guess is that the owner/architect, Jules Körner, just liked the geometric shapes. 

Pyramids Are Interlaced Triangles

I stumbled upon Egypt Revisited By Ivan Van Sertima and copied the following excerpt:

In regards to their esoteric meaning, the pyramids appear to have symbolized the fusion of heaven and earth or, more correctly stated, spirit and matter. This is seen in the Hermetic symbol of the interlaced triangles (now erroneously called the Star of David). One triangle pointing up reflecting the ascent into spirit, and one pointing down representing the descent into matter. Known by the Egyptions as the star of creation it also embodies the axiom “as above so below”, that which we see in our solar or macro system with the sun at its center and the several planets which orbit around it, we also see in the micro system or cosm in the minute atom with its nucleus, and the protons, electrons and neutrons, which likewise orbit around it.

I sent it to Dr. Asher Eder and asked him to comment. Here is what he said:

Nice idea - but where from does that author take the idea that the pyramids are interlaced triangles?
Why does he say the hexagram is e r r e o n u s l y called "Star of David"?

Centenary Of "Ort" Stamp

A blue Star of David on the background of a colorful cogwheel on the Centenary Of "Ort" Stamp.
Day of Issue: 15/01/1980
Designer: Israeli artist Moshe Pereg born 1941) graduated from Hornsey College of Art in London in 1966…Since 1971 he has worked in an independent graphic design studio… He has won numerous awards for his work, including prizes for postage stamp designs for Israel and the United Nations.

Eliyahu Chair

Photo of a Star of David on Eliyahu Chair used in the circumcision ceremony is courtesy of "joao1983" who published it on Flickr. He shot it at the synagogue of the Museum in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Elne Cloister Stone Carvings

There are a few hexagram stone carvings from the 12th to 14th centuries in the Elne Cloister in southern France, in the former province of Roussillon.

Islamic Tiles

I found some very nice Early Islamic Solomon’s seals from Egypt and from Syria  on 
http://www.anthonyslayter-ralph.com/main.html

Crowned Magen David

Crowned Magen David inside the Holy ARC on one of three stamps titled Joyous Festivals 5737.
Designed by Asher Kalderon.
Inscribed on the tab in Hebrew and English is the verse from Ethics of the Fathers,

By three things is the world preserved by Truth, by Judgment, and by Peace.

Six of Hearts

Tamir Cohen JWT designed an interesting Star of David made from six hearts on enormous billboards bearing the text

From the depth of our heart - thanks to The Israeli Defence Forces

The posters caused a political scandal because Microsoft logo appeared on those billboards.

Orpheus Christus

J.B. Friedman in his book [Orpheus in the Middle Ages, Cambridge, 1969] tells about an amulet in the British Museum, which contains on the reverse Jewish inscriptions, the six-pointed star  the figure of Christ-Horus, symbols of the sun and the moon, and the letters of Christ's name surrounded by the Uroboros. 

Holding Hands

A design full of inspiration of a Star of David made from holding hands on a stamp titled Pioneer Women 50th Anniversary issued on 05/08/1975. Associations of interlacing are built-in into this symbol because it is made from two interlaced equilateral triangles, but admit that you didn’t think about the possibility that Designer Asher Kalderon revealed here.

Ramat Gan Stamp

The emblem of the city shows a green shield with a Star of David in its center. Also appearing on the stamp: a palm tree,  a sun that rises on the nation of Israel; a wall that symbolizes the leverage of building; over the wall, trees that mark Ramat Gan as a city of gardens. Basket with vegetables and a plough that symbolize the agricultural aspect of the city. Chimney that alludes to the industrial aspect of the city. Around the Magen David we see seven stars as seven hours of work proposed by Hertzel.
issued July 9,1969
Ramat Gan is the eastern neighbour of Tel-Aviv; established in 1921.
Designers: brothers Gabriel and Max Shamir

The Wise Son

Photo is courtesy of designer Asher Kalderon who introduced a golden Star of David behind the head of the Wise Son on a detail from The Four Sons in the The New Passover Haggadah The size of the whole page is 33 x 32 cm.

Copyright: Asher Kalderon 2007

AKalderon Arts
8 Kehilat Budapest St.
Tel Aviv 69701, ISRAEL
972 3 647 8281
kalderon@netvision.net.il

Black On Blue

Photo is courtesy of "yossi05' who published it on Flickr under the title Magen Dovid and wrote there that it's the skylight in the main sanctuary and the shul of BAL Harbour, Florida, and that he darkened the shadows a bit in post-processing.

Computers in Israeli Industry

Photo is courtesy of the designer: Asher Kalderon.
Design of a Star of David on a keyboard of a computer on the Computers-in-Industry-stamp, which is one of three stamps in a series titled Israel Industry Centenary.
Day of Issue: 26/01/1988
Designer: Asher Kalderon
Asher Kalderon was Born in Bulgaria. Emigrated to Israel in 1948 and studied art and design at Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem. 

Tibetan Coin

There's a six pointed star on a Tibetan Coin named Jaya Srinirasa Malla from 1661-1685

My Shield Is My Faith

Photo of an artwork demontrating the origin of the star of david  is courtesy of Tzfat artist Reli Wasser
who realized my idea to connect the shape of the Magen David to its ancient original meaning.
The product started from a few illustrations of Jerusalem artist Dvorit Ben Shaul
and continued with glass models by Maayan Feigin.
Legend has it that the Star of David decorated the shield that King David had in his battles against his enemies. But when he fought Goliath, he defeated the giant with no protection: he just had his sling shot and his faith. His shield was not a physical object - his shield was his faith!
Jewish tradition maintains that Psalms are the work of King David. In Psalms, whenever King David prays to the Lord, using the word "shield", the coin "Shield of David” is created.
The product is available in a few versions and there will be more versions in the near future.
All rights reserved to Reli Wasser 2007
-ISRAELI ART
97277-3500880
Noam_art@netvision.net.il

Third Maccabiah Stamp

Stars of David on the Third Maccabiah Stamp that was issued on 10/01/1950.

Merwas Bible

Joseph ben Yehuda Merwas finished in 1307 writing and illustrating his bible. At the end of Deuteronomy he drew a Star of David in a circle so that each triangle is made from two lines. Joseph Ben Yehuda Merwas belonged to the school of Spanish Jewish illustrators, same as the Kennicott bible illustrator, who also drew Stars of David.

Akiva Kenneth Segan, Mosaic

Photo of Star of David mosaic/drawing is courtesy of Seattle artist Akiva Kenneth Segan
Title: Life & Death In The Ghetto.
Created in August - December, 2005.
Mosaic made from colored glass and ceramic plates, bowls and cups.
The drawing media is ink, gouache & colored pencil.
Size: 3 feet x six feet.
Copyright: Akiva Kenneth Segan 2007
PO Box 1721, Seattle, WA 98111 U.S.A.
Phone: (206) 624-4154 e-mail: underwings@connectexpress.com

Knot Rope

An amazingly successful design of a knot rope in the shape of a Star of David on the Israeli scouts jubilee Stamp.

Window Grill Istanbul

Photo of a peculiar rounded Star of David in a window grill at the Beit Israel small synagogue, in Istanbul's Sisli neighborhood; courtesy of Doc Kozzak who published it on Flickr. The synagogue was the target of a terrorist attack on November 15 2003. Completely destroyed at the time of the attack, it was almost rebuilt since. The district is mainly Christian, but Jews and Moslems live there too.

Aviva Beigel, Infusion

Photo of a yellow badge in a detail from a work by Artist Aviva Beigel titled infusion is courtesy of the artist.
Title:Blood connection
Iron grid, plastic wires, and ceramic figures.
The work deals with the connection between people, what do one give to the other, especially if they belong to a family. Each figure has a characterization of its own and one figure has a yellow badge as a characterization of its nation. The figures are bound to steel – they are not free.

http://www.avivabeigel.com
972-3-6478445
Copyrights: Aviva Beigel 2007

British Nigeria

This is how the flag of British Nigeria looked between 1 Jan 1900 - 1 Oct 1960

vegreville egg

Photo of six pointed stars on the vegreville egg is courtesy of "striatic" who published it on Flickr.
Vegreville is a town in central Alberta, Canada. …The July Pysanka (Ukrainian Easter egg) Festival showcases Ukrainian culture in Alberta. A large percentage of Vegreville's population is of Ukrainian Canadian descent. The world's largest pysanka was created to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1974 and to celebrate Vegreville's ethnic heritage.

The Sacred Symbols of Mu

James Churchward wrote in his book (The Sacred Symbols of Mu By , 1933) that  the two triangles within a circle enable 12 divisions representing the 12 gates to heaven Each gate represents  a virtue : Love, Faith, Hope Charity etc. Churchward claims that Mu was a lost continent in the Pacific Ocean, which was destroyed  tens of thousands of years ago; He tells that while serving with the British Army for thirty years he befriended a priest, who revealed to him ancient tablets written in an unknown language and taught him how to read this language, Naacal. The tablets were discovered in Mexico by an explorer named William Niven.

Stars of David with Church Pipe Organ

Photo is courtesy of L. Craig Schoonmaker who published these Stars of David with Church pipe organ on his blog where he shows many more photos of this splendid building, the former B'nai Jeshurun/present Hopewell Baptist Church, Newark, New Jersey. It is hard to imagine such a rare situation: Stars of David with Church pipe organ but this is what happens when a synagogue is left by its Jewish community and turns into a Baptist Church.
Craig’s blog is “a fotojournal about LIVING in Newark USA, New Jersey's largest and most cultured city”…

Inspiration

Photo is courtesy of L. Craig Schoonmaker who published this stained glass on his blog where he shows many more photos of this splendid building, the former B'nai Jeshurun/present Hopewell Baptist Church, Newark, New Jersey.
We see the word Inspiration on top and an old man pointing at it in order to draw his son’s attention, but the son is busy admiring the light that comes out of

Tetragrammaton

surrounded by a Star of David. I saw a similar stained glass work on
St Ann's Church, Manchester, England. I'd like to know who made it?

Tetraktys Surrounded By An Ourobouros

A Hexagram in a Tetraktys surrounded by an Ourobouros
in Lisa‘s genious Alchemy illustration.
Courtesy of Lisa "Ninth Wave Designs" from Flickr

Cave of the Patriarchs

Photo is courtesy of "Tbass Efendi" who published it on Flickr. There is a row of six pointed stars on the outer arc which are created by the curved lines of the pattern. In the center there is an eight pointed star. To me this whole ornament looks like an eye that watches the Muslim believers while they pray.
The Cave of the Patriarchs serves both Muslims and Jews and this photo is an opportunity to focus on its Muslim part.

Dominant Image

Photo is courtesy of "JayredS" who published it on Flickr with the following caption:

I designed this poster in Photoshop during my 10th grade World History class as a project on the Holocaust. The assignment was to create a poster that portrayed your feelings about the events of the Holocaust.
The Jewish star in the middle was created entirely from scratch. I chose it as my dominant image because of its easily recognizable appearance and its central dominance as marking the Jewish people during the Holocaust. The significance of the numbers 6 and 13 are 6m Jews killed and 13m total.

IMHO JayredS is right - the most dominant image of the Holocaust is the yellow Star of David.

P.S.
I just finished writing the first draft of my new book, "Yellow Badge Album", which contains dozens of art works that "mention" Yellow Badges, and the above work is one of them. JayredS sent me a new version of this work with the following caption:

Remembrance. To never forget what happened to the generation of Jews who suffered at the hands of Nazi Germany is an important goal of today's generation of youth. In an effort to inspire others "to never forget", I designed this poster for a World History course in 2006. While I have no direct connection to the Holocaust, it is my utmost belief that every Jew around the world today is connected and should never forget that.

Chinese and Holocaust Imagery

Photo is courtesy of "fan dan ke"  who published it on flickr and wrote to me:

Its a painting, by whom i'm not sure, that was on display around june 2006 in the gallery room of a Synagogue in Shanghai, China. most of the works were a combination of chinese and Holocaust imagery, as most of the Jews in Shanghai arrived in the 1940s to escape the genocide.

Aruba

Picture of this grass Magen David at Aruba, an island in the Caribbean Sea, is courtesy of "Aruban" from Flickr who wrote to me:

The story behind it is that the star is of a farmer in Aruba in support of the country of Israel. Yearlong he produces figs.

From seeing only the photo it is extremely hard to guess the story behind it. If I were a journalist I would have traveled to Aruba to interview the guy who made this grass star...

Pot Holder

I got this pot-holder from my daughter. It is good also for drawing stars of David without using a ruler or compasses.

Khirbet Carmel

Dr. Ze’ev Goldmann, founder of Akko Museum, showed me this chancel screen with David's Star and with inscribed Greek cross (upper left) From Khirbet Carmel near Hebron. Photo is from Abel& Barrois, Revue Biblique (RB) 1929 p. 584. There were found three Byzantine Churches in Carmel from the 5th-6th centuries C.E.
Carmel is mentioned in the Bible:
I samuel 25:2

Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And it came about while he was shearing his sheep in Carmel

Square With Four Triangles

Photo is courtesy of Israeli painter and photographer Yaacov_Kaszemacher, who created a series of Star of David paintings, each revealing another unknown aspect of this national symbol. Here we see a square with four triangles, made of cubes that fly in the sky without touching each other.
Copyrights: Yaacov_Kaszemacher 2007
Contact : kaszema@netvision.net.il
97246974566

Hungarian Cube

Hungarian Cube
Photo is courtesy of Israeli painter and photographer Yaacov_Kaszemacher. In a circle surrounded by a square we see a yellow cube, similar to the famous Hungarian Cube and on it a Star of David. Inside this
yellow cube there is a small cube encircled by a Star of David. Usually we see the Magen David as a 2D logo – Kaszemacher endows it the third dimention – the deep one.

Copyright: Yaacov_Kaszemacher 2007
Contact : kaszema@netvision.net.il
97246974566

Kaszemacher, Colorful Stars

Photo of these colorful Stars of David on a blue background is courtesy of Yaacov Kaszemacher, French-born Israeli painter who  

was raised in a secular home, but after a spiritual awakening in 1971, immigrated to Israel, and became a Torah-observant Hassid. 

Contact
kaszema@netvision.net.il
97246974566

Church Door, Boston

Photo of this beautiful composition of six pointed stars from a church door in Boston MA, (US) is courtesy of "pollenymph" who published it on Flickr. 

organizations involved with Israel

There’s a lot of Stars of David in logos of organizations involved with Israel:

Maoz, Messianic Jews fellowship, has a blue Star of David in its logo

Christian Friends of Israel have a Menorah in the shape of a Star of David in its logo

Hope for Israel, for reconciliation between Jew and Palestinian, have a Star of David and a dove on its colorful logo.

Christian Friends of Israeli Communities have an azure Star of David on a blue background.

Why Israel Canada has a white Star of David on a blue background

Yashanet has a yellow and brown Star of David on a white background

Messianic Jewish Net has a shadow of a Star of David under its name www.messianicjewish.net

Judaism 101 FAQ has an azure triangle interlaced with a blue and black triangle

Jewish Community has a white Star of David on a blue contour.

Ebenezer Fund has a white Star of David on a globe between two hands

Shavei Israel has a Star of David composed of blue triangle on a gray one

Victor Mordecai has a yellow Star of David on a red globe

Jewish music has a red music note on a white Star of David

Shalom Peace has one big blue Star of David with a fish in the middle and many small ones on the margins

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a white and blue composition of a Star of David with white arrows.

My-Israel has a gold Star of David on a blue background. 

Chufut-Kale

Photo of Stars of David in the Karaite Synagogue at Moshav Matzliach is courtesy of Neria Haroeh who published it in Wikipedia - until I saw it I didn't know that Kareites use this symbol along with the Menorah symbol.

Knife with a Star of David

I got this from my daughter and I use it constantly. It is hard to find me a present that I really like - this one is an exception.

Leonard Cohen

CC Picture by reinvented from Flickr

Leonard Cohen's logo is a love-version of the Star of David, in which each triangle is in the shape of the heart.

The result is two interlaced hearts.

Kashmir Museum

In the open-air gallery of the S.P.S. Museum, Srinagar, Kashmir, there is a 85-cm stone slab  with an engraving of a six-cornered star inside a circle, with a small circle in its center. Similar symbols are found in different parts of Kashmir.
See: Bleazby. G.B; List of Coins & Medals in the S.P.S. Museum, Srinagar, Kashmir, pp. 1-3

This 85-cm stone slab seems antique but I couldn't find its dating.

Longexposure art

Photo is courtesty of World Through A Blind Man's Eyes who published it on Flickr and explained to me how he did it:

I focus locked my camera, set it up on the tripod, set the shutter to 15 seconds, and drew an imaginary star of David! 

Ein Davidstern

Photo of this hexagram which is located at the municipality of Villingen/Schwenningenis, Germany, is courtesy of Tobischka who published it on Flickr. 

It is not clear who made this hexagram and why but to find this symbol on a German soil is always interesting...