Flag of the Ramle Branch of the Alliance of the Israeli Communist Youth. Ramle, [ca. 1950s and 1960s].
Flag, hand-embroidered onto pink fabric. In the center, the emblem of the movement – the Red Star encircled by two olive branches surmounted by the flag of the State of Israel. The movement's Hebrew acronym – "Banki" – is embroidered in Hebrew and Arabic letters above the inscription "Ramle Branch" (Hebrew).
The Alliance of the Israeli Communist Youth (Hebrew acronym: Banki) was established in 1924 by a small group of students from Jerusalem. The movement espoused a Marxist-Leninist ideology, rejected Zionism, and was the only youth organization in which Jews and Arabs were jointly active. Its members identified with the Israeli Communist Party (Hebrew acronym: Maki), and when that party began showing an affinity to Zionism in the early years of the State, members of Banki expressed similar sympathies. But when, in 1965, Maki was torn apart by divisions over the issue of Zionism, the Banki youth movement sided with the rival, anti-Zionist faction and its like-minded break-off, the Rakah party.
This particular flag – displaying the organization's emblem in conjunction with the Israeli flag – evidently represents the brief period when the movement identified with Zionist values.
Approx. 77X107 cm (uneven edges). Good condition. Minor stains. Blemishes and minor unraveling to fabric and fringes.