Star of David

The star of David is usually recognized as the symbol used to mark the Jewish people during the holocaust. It is made up of two equilateral triangles forming a hexagram. This symbol is also known in Hebrew as the shield of David. Adolf Hitler used the symbol to mark Jews and eventually captured them and placed them in concentration camps. Although most people think of the holocaust when they see the Star of David, it was originally used as an ornament of sorts. It has been noted on many ancient synagogues as a decoration of sorts. It has been found on a medieval Tanakh displayed on the front with this saying: "He will merit to bestow a bountiful gift on anyone who grasps the Shield of David." This particular Tanakh dates back all the way to 1307. It has been used as a title for the God of Israel and has been referred to as the Divine protection protecting the ancient king David. The Star of David or Shield of David has been used on countless Jewish flags throughout history. The most recent use of the symbol was not a happy one, being a marker for the Nazis to be able to locate the Jews easily. The symbol didnt officially represent Jews until the 17th century. But by the 18th century, the Jewish people had chosen as the symbol to represent them, as opposed to the cross used by most Christians. During the holocaust, the Star of David was used as a symbol to identify Jews. In some areas, Jews were forced to wear white armbands with a blue star of David while in others they were forced to wear a yellow Star of David on the left chest and the back. Jews over the age of six that did not wear the badge or armband were punished cruelly. Now the Star of David is depicted on the flag of Israel. Many Jewish athletes proudly display the Star of David, whether it be on their uniform, a tattoo on their calf or hand, or emblazoned on their baseball bat. I admire these people for showing the world that they arent ashamed of their religion. Raegan DuBose 3B

Spring Flowers
The Star of David was used to mark All the Jews over all our hearts Each one of us had a life Before the war, before the strife We were lied to, the Jews And we could do nothing but take the abuse We were imprisoned together in cold dark places Imprinting sadness into all of our faces Our names were taken and replaced with a number And every day we kept wishing for a truly restful slumber But no such thing could come in such an awful place But even still the hope in our hearts couldnt be replaced Every day we lost friends and family People lost their children who had become thin and gangly The children look out through the fence when there is time to spare To see if they can see if they can see happy life out there Because inside these walls where we are made to work everyday The only comfort we hold is when we pray Then the day comes when they tell us to get clean So we walk into a room, into a very odd scene They say take off your clothes so you can take a shower So you can be clean and smell of spring flowers We do as they say for we yearn to be rid of the smell And so we step into the room as we hear the starting bell We never couldve been more wrong about that moment Than we did when we realized that we were truly hopeless We scream and we shout for them to please let us out But their hearts are hardened and cold So they leave us here to die alone We didnt understand how they could be so mean When all we wanted to do was smell the flowers of spring By: Raegan DuBose 3B