We are a proud member of the Hebrew Order of David (HOD) International, an outstanding non-profit Jewish fraternal organization committed to the ideals of Unity, Fraternity, Love and Peace across the world, and the personal development of our members. These ideals have been practiced by HOD International since our earliest days in 1896 when HOD started in ENGLAND.
Aims and Objectives
- To promote goodwill amongst mankind
- To foster brotherhood amongst the members of the Order
- To raise funds for local worthwhile charities
- To support local institutions by the giving of our time
- To encourage marriage within the Jewish faith and thereby discourage intermarriage
- To support brethren in time of their difficulties
- To promote the ideals and work of the Hebrew Order of David International within the community
- To encourage our members to further their knowledge and understanding of the precepts and traditions of Judaism
- To enjoy ourselves while we organize and participate in all our activities
- To strengthen bonds between Jews in the Diaspora and the State of Israel
- To expand our membership base with a particular focus on men aged 25-40
- To plan initiatives to support our community
Mission Statement
The Hebrew Order of David International is a forum for an ever-growing number of Jewish adult males, operating as a cohesive fraternal unit supporting its members, and serving the community, applying Jewish ideals and values while providing its members the opportunity for personal development.
To find out more about joining our lodge, please Contact us.
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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND LEADING UP TO THE FORMATION OF THE HEBREW ORDER OF DAVID
Bible History
The history of the Jewish people does not reflect Jews as such prior to Abraham.
but starts with him as our first forefather and continues with the
stories of his succeeding generations till the event of Moses at Mount
Sinai receiving the commandments, and that is when the Jewish People
became a nation.
So, it is also with the development of the HOD on
when and how it had it’s teething beginnings began some 2,500 years ago
and reaching its official birth status in 1896. They were then called
the Druids.
Who were they? From where did they originate? What do they have in common with our own Hebrew Order of David?
THE DRUIDS
The Druids lived in Europe formerly known as Gaul. At one stage they
encompassed Germany, Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and parts
of Italy and Switzerland. Their main habitat seemed to be the British
Isles. For our purpose, we shall deal with the Druids in England where
myriads of secret societies (here-in-after referred to as Order) had
branches, each one attempting to assist members (men as well as women)
with advice, guidance, and physical assistance. Membership cost was meager and served as a boon to the poor.
One of such well known
Order existed in the 20th Century in London with an active branch in
Johannesburg, South Africa entitled “The Ancient Order of the
Foresters”. I recall this Jewish active involvement by my uncle Leon
Segal (Founder of the Selwyn Segal Orgnization (his late son) together
with his wife Fanny. His brother, (my father Lewis Alhanan Segall opted
for the HOD instead.
So back to the Druids with whom we are dealing as our progenitor.
1.) The word Druid is not known etymologically, but scholars agree that
the word comes from the Irish-Gaelic which means “oak tree,” and which
has great significance in many ancient cultures representing abundance
and wisdom. The Druids revered the natural world, and the oak
particularly was seen as sacred.
They are recognized as having been the oldest such society in the world.
The Druids were a significant ancient Celtic religion with a high
state of cultural activities but were not their own race. The Druid
title was viewed as a high-ranking social class.
They were well known and recognized as people of highly attained
knowledge in many aspects of life, and recognized first by the Greek
writers and later by the Romans who encountered them in Gaul and
Britain. According to these sources, they were a learned caste who
officiated in religious ceremonies, taught ancient wisdom, and were
revered as philosophers within Celtic societies made up of tribes
leading men and women (they had gender equality) as priests, historians,
teachers, and judges.
They came from a culture with a strong oral tradition passing
information through poems, songs, and stories. What we know today came
from archaeological evidence and second hand- written accounts.
Besides the services mentioned above, they also provided additional
activities such as divining, law involvement, military strategist, and
political adviser. To neighboring tribes, the Druids knowledge in the
services they provided was deemed invaluable.
Apparently, the Druids were said to believe that the soul was
immortal and passed at death from one person to another. A Druid title
was viewed as a high-ranking social class.
However, the Druids were fiercely outspoken against their enemy,
Roman Rule, which became a thorn in the side of the Empire and who
treated the Druids as “savages” of the north with whom they traded. This
resulted in the sacred groves of the Druids being desecrated and people
slaughtered. Their surviving practices were outlawed by the Romans.
2.) Although the Druids did not allow recordings of their civilization,
Julius Caesar, who conquered Gaul in 58-50 B.C.E., invaded Britain
thereafter and he became the principle source of information about the
Druids. In a series of books collectively known as “The Galic Wars”,
Caesar wrote that the Druids “engaged in things sacred, conducting the
public and private sacrifices, interpreting all matters of religion and
settling disputes”.
Certain thinkers have associated Stonehenge with the Druids, but this
is not so, as Druidism emerged in the last half of the first millennium
long after Stonehenge was built.
ORDER OF THE DRUIDS
Brother Joseph Distiller (born in Poland and emigrated to England)
became associated with the Order of the Druids because of the similarity
of their cultural activities and was influential in its formation in
England in 1896. Within 8 years, Bro. Joseph Distiller as well as
Brother Louis Faiga (also born in Poland) moved to South Africa 1896 and
through their creative abilities, the Order was created as a branch in
Johannesburg November 27th 1904.
The late S.A. Rochlin (South African Historian and Archivist) wrote
in his “First Fifty Years” as follows: “It is of interest to note that
the H.O.D. was the first body of its kind in the British Commonwealth
outside of England to be established in the British Empire.”
“They did so at a time when, following the conclusion of the South
African War of 1899-1902, local economic, social, and other conditions
were, overall, not very alluring to the immigrant Jews, especially those
from Eastern Europe…. This period witnessed not only a general
re-orientation of organized Jewish life here, but also the urgent need
of the newly arrived Jews to seek a closer companionship among their own
people, to improve their economic position and generally to re-adjust
themselves in a none too friendly surrounding”.
3.) Historical events – London 1896 *The official opening of the 1896
Summer Olympics was the first modern time the Olympics were celebrated
in the past 1500 years previously in Athens. * Walter Arnold was the
first person to be fined for speeding in London. *The sum of 1 shilling
(10 cents) for passing the allowed speed of 8 miles per minute. * sweet
(candy) Tootsie Roll was invented. *A.S. Propov was the first man in
history to send a radio signal transmission. *Guglielmo Marconi applied
for a patent for his newest invention – the radio. *Henry Ford tested
his first gas powered automobile, the F.Quadricle. *During the
Coronation of Nicholas, the last Czar of the Russian Empire, a panic
broke out causing 1389 deaths. *The shortest war in history took place
from 9 am ended 9.45 a.m. between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar.
HEBREW ORDER OF DAVID
The Order changed its name in South Africa by majority vote on 16
November 1919 and by the end of 1921, the Order assumed the rightful
title of the Hebrew Order of David.
The Order continued to grow and by the time the first Conference of
the Order took place in Johannesburg on 29 June 1924, the following
Lodges had been Consecrated: Pretoria, Boksburg, Springs, and Witbank.
4.) The Grand Lodge is situated in South Africa. Most Lodges are
autonomous by members of the individual Lodges concerned. All Lodges are
affiliated to Grand Lodge. At the time of printing, there are currently
9 Lodges in the United States, 4 in Atlanta and one in each of the
following cities: Boca Raton, Dallas, 2 in Houston and San Diego. In
addition, there is 1 Lodge in Toronto, Canada, 3 in London, England, 2
in Israel and 6 in South Africa.
HOD is a forum for growing Jewish adult male members, spiraling as a
cohesive fraternal unit, supporting its members serving the community
and applying Jewish ideals and values for personal development. It also
collects funds and distributes aid in the pursuit of relieving suffering
where it is required.
Historical events South Africa 1904 *Pneumonic Plague broke out in
Johannesburg. *A Yiddish newspaper was printed entitled “Der Shtral”.
*South Africa’s first President, Paul Kruger, died in Switzerland.
*Jewish Population was 38,101 (twice as many as women) *Jewish
Population grew (1880-1914) = 40,000 *The Second Boer War ended in 1902.
(HOD established 1904)
HEXAGRAM
Why and when was the Magen David chosen as a Jewish symbol?
In mathematical use, the official name is Hexagram (Greek) which is a
6-pointed star figure used to refer to a compound figure of 2
equilateral triangles.
According to Wikipedia, this star is the
oldest known depiction dating back to the 3rd millennium B.C. and used
by many religions as well as organizations.
Within Indic lore, the shape is understood to consist of 2 triangles –
one pointed up and the other down- locked in harmonious embrace which
represents Creation.
5.) In Buddhism, the Sanskrit Tantric tradition refers to balance,
calmness and serenity. The Mormons symbolizes God reaching down to man
and man reaching up to God.
In Islam, it symbolizes the Seal of Solomon.
In Freemasonry,
the interlacing triangles symbolize the union of two principles or
forces – the active and the passive, male and female, pervading the
universe. The two interlacing triangles typify opposites in nature –
darkness and light, error and truth, ignorance, and wisdom, evil and
good.
In Judaism, the double triangle symbolizes the connection of both
dimensions of God, Torah, and Israel. The external level of the soul
connects to the external expression of God via studying the esoteric
parts of Torah. The essence of the soul connects with God’s essence
through the study and application of the Kabbalah which teaches that God
created the world with seven spiritual building blocks – His seven
“emotional”attributes. Accordingly, the entire creation reflects these
seven foundational attributes.
SEAL OF SOLOMON
In Alchemy the Seal symbolizes the Philosopher’s Stone because it
joined the symbol of fire, an upright triangle, with the symbol of
water, an inverted triangle. This Seal first appeared as early as the
Bronze Age as a decoration on lamps, seals, and artifacts. The Hexagram
and “real” name of God was etched in Arabic on the Ring of King Solomon
which enabled him to command an army of Demons, the djinn. As an amulet,
the Seal protected against the Evil Eye and Lilith, the terrible demon
who stole children during the night. The most important use of the Seal
was in the Magic, as a talisman to control the demons and spirits
conjured by the magicians.
6.) MAGEN DAVID SYMBOL
So where did the Magen David come from and is it a Jewish symbol?
There is a theory that the Seal of Solomon was adopted by Jews from
Islamic magic literature but did not include the term “shield of David”,
but Jewish roots show the Talmud’s mention of the star in question as
being engraved on the Seal and also that Jewish alchemists were the
Jewish teachers of their Muslim and Christian counterparts during the 2
nd or 3 rd century C.E.
One millennium later, the star would begin to be used as a symbolic
identification of Jewish communities, a tradition that seems teachings
of Kabbalah to have started in Prague before the 17 th century and from
there spread throughout Europe.
In fact, again in Prague in 1354, King Charles VI created a red flag with the Magen David displayed brazenly for the Jews and what was meant to be Solomons Seal.
In the 19 th century, it came to be adopted by European Jewry as a
symbolic representative of Jewish religion or identity. especially after
the worldwide Zionist community used it on a flag at the First Zionist
Congress in 1897 in Basle, Switzerland. As a result of this exposure, it
became used by Jewish communities particularly Jewish affiliated
athletics.
The use of the Hexagram in a Jewish context as a possibly meaningful
symbol may have occurred as early as the 11 th century in the decoration
of the famous Tanach manuscript dated 1307 - even at ancient Capernaum
Synagogue as a decoration.
Jewish History shows the many events which prompted the choice of the Magen David as their symbol of existence.
Way back as far as Biblical times proves this point. The Bible tells
us that David captured the Jebusite strong hold of Jerusalem and made it
the seat of the first national monarchy and which flourished 1,000
years (BCE). our country of Israel which represents martyrdom, heroism
and the reality of our dreams and aspirations.
The following is a short list of events on the reasons for the claim to the Magen David as a Jewish symbol of our existence.
7.) ITEMS, ORIGIN AND USAGE OF THE MAGEN DAVID SYMBOL.
*The Shinto Religion in Japan used the Hexagram.
*The King of Babylonia in Persia used the symbol as a Royal indication.
*The Magen David sign has been found on an ancient synagogue in Israel dating 6th century.
*The Magen David has been found on a stone in a Peking synagogue dating 2,000 years ago.
*Samaritans believe that the 6- pointed star represents the ancient 6 cities of
refuge which appears in the Chumash.
*The Bar Kochba rebels had the star emblazoned on their shields for their leader named “son of a star”.
*In the year 1400, Jews in Prague had the symbol printed on their communal Flag as did Jews in Vienna in 1600.
*The symbol was approved at the Zionist Congress 1898.
The Kabbalistic and mystical aspect reminds us of a physical and
spiritual world as well as our relationship with God and mankind. The
Magen David is therefore prominent as a Jewish symbol all this time of
its development and final acceptance by the Jewish Communities
worldwide. This, together with the Torah, which has always been the
major symbol of Judaism, does not need banners or flags to be
remembered. Our continuation of or existence lies with our Torah, and
this is by what we live.
THE HOLOCAUST
A yellow star of David with the German word Jude was used by the Nazis during
the Holocaust to identify Jews during the 2 nd World War II.
8.) A few more historical events worldwide 1904
*Marconi Company established “COD” as an international distress signal. This was finally replaced 2 years later by “SOS”.
*The United States acquired control of the Panama Canal Zone. Cost $10 Million.
*Great Britain and France established their Entente Cordiale – a
technical treaty settling long standing disagreements over Morrocco,
Egypt, Africa and the Pacific.
*New York City changes its name to New York Times Square in honor of the New York’s Time Magazine move there.
*Andrew Carnegie donated $1.5 Million to build his palace.
*After 13 years, the 4,607 mile Trans-Siberian Railway was vompleted.
*Dalai Lama signs treaty allowing British commerce in Tibet.
*First section f New York subway was completed. The Fare? A Nickel.
HEBREW ORDER OF DAVID INTERNATIONAL
This is the most prominent year with its small beginnings for the
Hebrew Order of David International. The outstanding development, far
reaching and beneficial achievements to our communities, and the sense
of deep chavershaft attained individually – all with words that do not
exist to say as a simple but meaningful.
“Thank You” to each and every Brother for the involvement in the Jewish
Tradition of “V’ahavtah L’Reacha Kamocha” Love Your Neighbor as
yourself by upholding the principles of Unity, Fraternity, Love and
Peace.
9.) THE STATE OF ISRAEL 1948
1948 finally saw the long prayed for return to the ancient land of
our forefathers, and with this re-establishment, the Magen David appears
on the flag of Israel depicting a blue Magen David on the white
background between two horizontal blue stripes was adopted on October
28, 1948, five months after the country’s establishment.. It is also
known as the “Flag of Zion”. ‘Magen David Adom translated literally is
Red Shield of David and is equivalent to the rest of the world’s Red
Cross.
LONG MAY SHE LIVE
Written by Wor Bro. Chaim Segall
