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Last modified: 2023-10-21 by martin karner
Keywords: zionism | emanuel | hofiya | star: 6 points (white-blue) | letter: h (red) | star: 6 points (yellow) |
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image by Željko Heimer
See also:
National Geographic 1934 [gsh34],
p. 373 shows a b/w photo of a "Zionist" waving a flag
horizontally divided light over dark (the caption indeed says it
is white over blue) with the "Shield of David" in the
center, counterchanged (that is, it is dark on the light half of
the flag and light on the dark half.)
Nick Artimovich, 1 April 1996
This photo at [gsh34] has the
following caption: "The 'Emanuel', flying a Palestine flag,
anchors at Southampton, England. This Jewish trading vessel was
the first to fly her country's new banner. Palestine, under
British mandate, has a badge (see No. 419), but its Jewish
population has created this flag of their own – Solomon's
seal on a field of blue and white."
The flag in the picture appears to be blue over white with a
large Magen David set near the hoist and counterchanged
in colors. In its center appears the letter 'H' in an unknown
color but obviously not blue or white. The photo is black and
white.
Dave Martucci, 3 November 1996
In 1934 it was reported that the Steam Ship Emanuel
flew a Zionist flag described as being Solomon's Seal
counterchanged in the centre of a light blue over dark blue flag.
Source: Public Record Office, Kew: CO 323/1333/1.
David Prothero, 22 February 2002
The flag in [gsh34] is blue
over white, the seal shifted to the hoist, lower part of the seal
blue, top of the seal looks golden or similar, not white.
Proportions: not evident, c. 2:3. Here is a scan.
Jarig Bakker, 23 February 2002
Does it says to which company this ship belonged? The Zionist flag was already official in
1934, so my guess is that was a houseflag.
Dov Gutterman, 23/24 February 2002
I hadn't noticed the photograph in the [gsh34]. The flag is not on an ensign
staff but being held out from a pole lashed to the hand-rail. It
must be a temporary arrangement as the pole is obstructing a
fair-lead and also a boom. The description of the flag was
"light blue over dark blue", while in the photograph it
is a dark colour over a light colour. However this is easily
explained. The photograph was taken in England. The crew are
observing the local custom, and holding the flag upside down. The
lighter colour could be a very light blue. It is certainly darker
that the white life-buoys.
David Prothero, 24 February 2002
However, the photo in [gsh34]
shows it flying from the staff at the stern. But also it is
clearly a staged photograph. Possibly the ship sailed under a
recognized ensign and only temporarily placed the Zionist flag in
the ensign position as a political statement.
Ned Smith, 24 February 2002
The story of the Emanuel and moreover, the story of its
captain Arye 'Lyova' Grevnov who designed the flag is quite
unique.
Emanuel was not a steamship but a twin-mast 200 GRT
scooner and the flag was first hoisted in 1933. Soon after it was
photographed in National Geographic, the ship was lost in sea
never to be found again.
Arye 'Lyova' Grevnov founded a shipping company named Hofiya
(God's Sea shore) and hoist a blue-white flag of his design. On
30 January 1934, the Emmanuel sailed from Poole (UK) and never
seen again. The 21 years young captain and his crew of six were
lost at sea.
Dov Gutterman, 27 July 2007
I am the sun of Grevnov niece, i.e he was my mothers's uncle
and the brother of my grandmother. I also research and write
items at Hebrew Wikipedia.
Captain Grevnov was born in 1912 in the Ukraine and in 1922 at
age 10 his family immigrate to Tel Aviv. At age 16 he finished
his studies with excellence. In 1928/9 he went to Belgium to
study at the Antwerp Maritime Academy and at age 19 he was
authorized as "kapitein ter kustvaart", captain in
coastal shipping.
He founded a shipping company named Hofiya, and crossed
Europe until he arrived to Aalburg, where he purchased ad 52
years old 200 GRT scooner that was previously used for research
at the Nord Sea. The ship was a wreck and with a crew that he
brought from Eretz-Yisrael (Pelestine-Israel-land) the vessel was
fixed and became sea worthy and he moved to Aarhus. Meanwhile,
the ladies of Aarhus Jewish community of Aarhus made him a flag.
See a clip from Danish newspaper at Wikipedia.
The ship took a load to Antwerp, but in its way there was a storm
and the ship was ran aground. A Dutch steamer tow them to Antwerp
and while waiting to fix the vessel he and his crew stay with the
Jewish community which made him another flag. After paying the
needed ransom, the ship sail to Southampton. Its arrival and its
flag were published in the parers and they received visits from
the leaders of the Jewish community. Photo at Wikipedia.
The ship sailed to Poole port where it took a load to Greece. Two
crewmen refuse to sail and were substituted with two foreigners.
The Emanuel sailed on 30 January 1934, never to be seen again.
The Flag
My suggestion is that the design of the flag was influenced by
the flag that appear on the cover
of the anti-Semitic publication "The protocols of Zion
elders" that was printed in Nazi Germany. I suggest that
when Grevnov passed via Hamburg in its way to Denmark he saw this
publication and and as defiance, he used this design as basis to
his flag. I have no proof for that, but the resemblance of the
flags and my knowledge of Grevnov views, are the basis to this
calculated guess.
The photo at Southampton show the Antwerp flag, but it was stolen
from the ship when the crew went to a synagogue and in its last
voyage the hoist the Aarhus flag.
More info at <maritime-museum.org.il>
and Hebrew Wikipedia.
Raphael Dror Grinker, 21 August 2008
