Jewish heraldry

JEWS ARE THE FOUNDERS OF HERALDRY

The widespread opinion that heraldry is a purely Christian invention and the privilege of knights and feudal lords (i.e., landowners) is fundamentally wrong. In fact, in the Jewish tradition, heraldic canons appeared long before the emergence of medieval European coats of arms.

The Torah (Bamidbar 2:1-2) describes how the 12 tribes of Israel used banners with ancestral symbols – in fact, this is the oldest example of hereditary heraldry. These signs are mentioned in Jewish sources: for example, the lion as the symbol of the tribe of Judah, or the ship in the sign of the tribe of Zvulun. It was the Jewish tradition of the banners of the tribes of Israel that formed the basis of Christian heraldry.

The Jews of medieval Europe made extensive use of coats of arms. They placed them on seals, marriage contracts (ktubas) and tombstones, and used them in official documents. For example, the seal of Calonymus bar-Todros (14th century, Narbonne) depicts a lion in a heraldic shield – and this coat of arms was inherited by his son.

Spanish and Italian Jews were particularly active in using heraldry. For example, the coat of arms of the Gallico family included a rooster (gallo), an example of a speaking coat of arms (an emblem alluding to the owner’s surname). the Cohen Vitale coat of arms depicts the Tree of Life and hands folded in the Cohen blessing.

The same symbols used by Christians and Jews had completely different interpretations – the Jews put their own, deeply traditional meaning into them:

• The lion in Christians symbolized power, in Jews it symbolized the tribe of Judah and King David.
• The pelican feeding its chicks with its blood, for Christians a symbol of Christ’s self-sacrifice, for Jews an image of the Torah nourishing the people of Israel.
• The pomegranate in Christianity signified chastity, and in Judaism, the 613 commandments of the Torah.

In addition, Jewish heraldry also had unique symbols:

• menorah (menorah) – connection to the Temple and spiritual heritage.
• the hands of the kohen in the gesture of blessing, a sign of the priestly caste.
• Jewish hat – a characteristic element that symbolized identity.

Thus, Jewish heraldry did not just exist, but was older than Christian heraldry and influenced the development of heraldry in general.