This Saturday night and Sunday, Diaspora Jews will celebrate Simḥat Torah, during which Torah scrolls are removed from their arks and congregants dance with them. A common sight on the holiday is of children waving small paper flags with Stars of David or other familiar symbols. The National Library of Israel recently acquired three such flags produced in Vilna (modern-day Vilnius) in 1864. Korin Elbaz-Alush writes:

Each flag depicts a biblical story or a historical event. Among the events depicted are Abraham’s meeting with the angels, the tribes of Israel carrying flags, David playing the harp, and the figures of Simeon and Levi in the city of Shechem. The tradition of using flags on Simḥat Torah is relatively [old], and various testimonies suggest that it has been known for over 400 years, since the start of the 17th century. This tradition emerged as a way to make the holiday appeal to local children.

Over the years, Simḥat Torah flags were made from thin paper which quickly deteriorated. Therefore, the flags donated to the National Library serve as a rare testimony to the holiday’s flags that were in use many years ago.

“Initially, most of the flags were printed in black and white or, in this case, on blue paper. However, toward the end of the 19th century, you can find more and more flags with vivid, eye-catching colors,” Ariel Viterbo, from the National Library’s Archives Department, said. “The themes on the flags’ paintings have changed over the years, from distinct biblical motifs like those appearing on these flags, to later flags where themes include modern events and children.”

If Iran succeeds in obtaining nuclear weapons, the war in Gaza, let alone the protests on college campuses, will seem like a minor complication. Jonathan Schachter fears that this danger could be much more imminent than decisionmakers in Jerusalem and Washington believe. In his view, Israel seems to be repeating the mistake that allowed it to be taken by surprise on Simchat Torah of 2023 and Yom Kippur of 1973: putting too much faith in an intelligence concept that could be wrong.

Israel and the United States apparently believe that despite Iran’s well-documented progress in developing capabilities necessary for producing and delivering nuclear weapons, as well as its extensive and ongoing record of violating its international nuclear obligations, there is no acute crisis because building a bomb would take time, would be observable, and could be stopped by force. Taken together, these assumptions and their moderating impact on Israeli and American policy form a new Iran concept reminiscent of its 1973 namesake and of the systemic failures that preceded the October 7 massacre.

Meanwhile, most of the restrictions put in place by the 2015 nuclear deal will expire by the end of next year, rendering the question of Iran’s adherence moot. And the forces that could be taking action aren’t:

The European Union regularly issues boilerplate press releases asserting its members’ “grave concern.” American decisionmakers and spokespeople have created the unmistakable impression that their reservations about the use of force are stronger than their commitment to use force to prevent an Iranian atomic bomb. At the same time, the U.S. refuses to enforce its own sanctions comprehensively: Iranian oil exports (especially to China) and foreign-currency reserves have ballooned since January 2021, when the Biden administration took office.

Israel’s response has also been sluggish and ambiguous. Despite its oft-stated policy of never allowing a nuclear Iran, Israel’s words and deeds have sent mixed messages to allies and adversaries—perhaps inadvertently reinforcing the prevailing sense in Washington and elsewhere that Iran’s nuclear efforts do not present an exigent crisis.