Flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Russian regional flag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast[a] is an official symbol of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, a federal subject of Russia. It is a white field with seven thin horizontal stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, blue, and purple in the center, each separated from adjacent stripes by a thinner white stripe. The current design was adopted on 27 November 1996; the oblast's first flag was adopted on 31 July 1996 and had a similar design, albeit with even thinner stripes and no white stripes in-between.
| |
| Use | State flag    |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 27 November 1996 |
| Design | A white field with seven thin horizontal stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, blue, and purple in the center, each separated from adjacent stripes by a thinner white stripe |
| Designed by | Alexander Dmitrievich Valyaev |
.svg) | |
| Use | State flag  |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 31 July 1996 |
| Relinquished | 27 November 1996 |
| Design | A white field with seven thin horizontal stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, blue, and purple in the center |
Design and symbolism
The Autonomous Oblast's flag consists of a rainbow on a white background, with seven narrow horizontal colored stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, sky blue, blue and purple. The colors are slightly different from the basic spectral colors, with gold in place of yellow, vivid blue instead of light blue, and indigo as dark blue,[1] The flag's aspect ratio is 2:3.
The seven colored stripes are centered vertically and regularly spaced; they have a height each equal to 1⁄40 of the flag's height, and are separated by thin spacing (white borders) equal to 1⁄120 of the flag's height.[2]
The current design was adopted on 27 November 1996.[3]
The white color of the cloth represents purity. Rainbows are the biblical symbol of peace, happiness, and goodness. The number of bands of the rainbow equal to the number of candles in the Menorah, one of the national religious Jewish symbols. The Menorah speaks of the creation of the world in seven days, and the number of bands of the rainbow emphasizes the connection with the ancient Jewish symbol. Also, the rainbow may symbolize the Seven Noahide laws.[citation needed]
Rainbow flag controversy
In 2013, the flag was checked according to the Russian gay propaganda law for the presence of gay propaganda, because of its resemblance to the rainbow LGBT flag. The JAO flag was confirmed as safe because of its white background, white borders between the colored stripes, and the seventh (light blue) colour.[4] However, there are gay-pride flags that use the seven colors of the JAO flag.[5] In 2022, the governor of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Rostislav Goldstein, stated that the flag depicts a "biblical symbol" and has "nothing in common" with the LGBT flag, and said not to confuse it with the LGBT flag.[6]
Gallery
Flags of administrative subdivisions
| Flag | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
1998–Present | Flag of Birobidzhan |
See also
- Coat of arms of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (Birobidzhan)
- Rainbow flag
