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Red Shield of David (Israel)

Magen David Adom, MADA

(8:11) image by Thanh-Tâm Lê

Description
Flag Variants
Car Flag

See also:

Description

Magen David Adom (Red Shield of David) is the Israel equivalent to the Red Cross, the flag is a red Magen David on a white bed-sheet. As far as I know it is only in use in Israel. "MADA" is the short name of this organization, based on its initials.
Dov Gutterman, 9 March 1999

Magen David Adom uses this flag, however there is no official status for the flag. I suppose that the flag ought to be 8:11 as the Israeli flag, however, as usual here, the actual flags used are 2:3.
Dov Gutterman, 29 November 1999

The Red Star of David, MDA (מגן דוד אדום, מָדָ"א) is the country's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance, blood and milk banks service.
The first use of the "Magen David Adom" symbol was during the Anglo Boer War in South Africa (1899–1902) when it was used by the Ambulance Corps founded by Ben Zion Aaron in Johannesburg as a first aid corps to assist the Boer forces. Permission was given by President Paul Kruger of the South African Republic for the Star of David to be used as its insignia, rather than the conventional red cross for assistance purposes. Another initiative was carried out by Swiss Jewish Doctor Moshe Erlanger who set up a service from 1915 during the First World War until it ceased operations in May 1921. Several other related independent organizations emerged with the same name in the US in 1918 and later on in Canada and England as well. There even was an organization with the same name set up in Jaffa in 1918. Then on June 7, 1930 in Tel Aviv the forerunner of the current organization was set up called "The national organization of Magen David Adom associations for rapid assistance in the Land of Israel" (other sources mention 1937). It was formalized by the Magen David Adom Law of July 21, 1950.

Sources:
http://www.mdais.org/271/
https://il.linkedin.com/company/mdaisrael
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magen_David_Adom
https://he.wikipedia.org/...
https://he.wikipedia.org/...

For additional information go to MDAIS (MDA ISrael) (official website): http://www.mdais.org

Esteban Rivera, 5 September 2025

Flag Variants

(3:5) image by Alvin Helms

In a photo sent to my wife by a pen pal in Israel, who like my wife is involved with Emergency Medical Systems, the mogen David is depicted both on the side of their ambulance and on a flag in the background as being a solid six-pointed star. This may be a variation.
Dave Martucci, 29 November 1999

The image by Thanh-Tâm Lê shows a 8:11 flag with a magen David about half as high as the flag's hoist. Alvin Helms' image shows the flag as 3:5 and the emblem being about 2/3 of the flag's hoist. Which is correct? I guess the ratio should (at least officially) be 8:11 as most Israeli flags.
Santiago Dotor, 4 February 2000

There is no official MADA flag, so there are no regulations or such concerning the ratio of the flag or the emblem size. When Thanh-Tâm Lê drew his image, I compared it to an actual flag and made some corrections. In my opinion, what was done by MADA is taking a national flag, removing the stripes and changing the colour of the emblem. The official ratio of the national flag is 8:11, but it is very common to see them as 2:3 (actually it seems there are more 2:3's than 8:11's). I suggest that since it is obviously based on the national flag, we should show it as 8:11.
Dov Gutterman, 4 February 2000

I am a former MADA employee and I wanted to assure you that until this moment no official height-width ratio for the MADA flag has been established (...) thus all ratios are accepted (even for official purposes).
Shahar T. Yahalom, 2 November 2002

The emblem of Magen David Adom (simply red Magen David on white, no specifications) was officialized by law. No mention of the flag, however.
Dov Gutterman, 17 September 2001

image by Tomislav Šipek

This variant with text, from http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/150474
Tomislav Šipek, 24 October 2018

Car Flag

image by Dov Gutterman

A car flag with inscription was hoisted on the ambulances.
Dov Gutterman, 19 June 2003