Magen David, our Star, Our Shield
In today’s climate of animosity directed towards the State of Israel and, by inevitable extension, the Jewish people, a simple six-pointed star is often the target of scorn, ridicule and discrimination.
In English, the colloquial term for this symbol is the “star of David,” which is intended to correspond to the Hebrew term, Magen David. That, of course, is a mistranslation, as the word magen means “shield,” not star. It derives from the Hebrew word ganan, which means “to shield.” Contextually, these terms refer to both physical and figurative shields.
In today’s world, this distinction matters. A star is a mere object, icon or symbol. A shield is an instrument of protection.
The true definition of magen is, therefore, much more useful in today’s environment. This was illustrated recently in a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia captioned Sumrall v. Ali.
The case arose from an incident that occurred on November 12, 2024, in which the Plaintiff, Kimmara Sumrall, participated in a pro-Israel protest organized in response to a pro-Palestinian demonstration organized by Code Pink. While there, Ms. Sumrall alleges that the Defendant, Janine Ali, assaulted her by approaching her from behind and grabbing and pulling an Israeli flag she wore around her neck. As a remedy, Ms. Sumrall sought a “stay away” restraining order to prevent Ms. Ali from engaging her in the future. On August 4, 2025, District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden, granted a preliminary injunction in Ms. Sumrall’s favor.
In his twenty-page opinion, Judge McFadden addressed many legal points and nuances. The one that, perhaps, could have the greatest precedential value, involved question of whether Ali’s alleged targeting of the Israeli flag, which features the “Star of David,” could be deemed an act of racial discrimination.
Judge McFadden correctly found that “The Star of David – emblazoned on the Israeli flag – symbolizes the Jewish race,” and that targeting this flag can be deemed a discriminatory act. Ms. Ali’s counsel opposed this, arguing that that “the Israeli flag represents the state of Israel rather than the Jewish race, so her action is merely anti-Israel, not antisemitic.” Judge McFadden, however, rejected this false distinction, stating that “it is much more likely that [Ms. Ali] was intentionally attacking a Jewish person wearing a Jewish flag as a symbol of her racial heritage” and favorably quoting Ms. Sumrall’s counsel, who argued that “if yanking a flag emblazoned with the Star of David tied around a Jewish person’s neck at a pro-Israel protest is not discrimination, I don’t know what is.”
Thus, for Ms. Sumrall, Magen David was a shield that, if not in the moment, at least within the processes our civil society that fosters the rule of law, provided her protection. We must continue to embrace and proudly display our shield and allow it to continue to protect us as it has for centuries.
