Israel celebrates today 60 years of Independence. Blue and white flags are visible everywhere; on windows and terraces and on private cars. They are fluttering from every lamp-post. The flag of the State of Israel is intended to portray a Star of David ("Magen David") on a "Tallit", the traditional Jewish prayer shawl. ***************************** The idea that the blue and white colors were the national colors of the Jewish people was voiced by Ludwig August Frankl (1810-1894), an Austrian Jewish poet. In his poem, "Judah's Colors", he writes: "These are the colors of the beloved country, Blue and white are the borders of Judah; White is the radiance of the priesthood, And blue, the splendors of the firmament."