Executive Producer Dodi Fayed (-DECEASED(?)-) and Producer David Puttnam (Now Lord Puttnam of Queensgate)
"I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land"
- Blake,
Founding Prophet and Race Theoretician of British Israelism
Dodi Fayed, Friend to British Israel
"Perhaps they are God's chosen people after all,"
(Note that Abrahams has the date of Beltane / The Waco Fire / Oklahoma City / Dissolution of the Warsaw Ghetto on his chest, alongside the flag of the Grid of Oppresion)
The Grid of Oppression
"It's essentially the story of a Jew - moreover, an oriental - battling against the prejudices of the British Establishment"
[Not to mention, the Muscular Christian Scot, who defies the future Nazi Prince of Wales (then-Grandmaster of English Freemasonry,to his face]
"And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England's pleasant pastures seen!"
Harold M. Abrahams:
I'm more of an addict. It's a compulsion with me, a weapon I can use.
Sybil Gordon:
Against what?
Harold M. Abrahams:
Being Jewish I suppose.
Sybil Gordon: [laughs incredulously]
You're not serious! People aren't like that, people don't care. Can it be as bad as all that?
Harold M. Abrahams:
You're not Jewish, or you wouldn't have had to ask.
‘I said to Dodi, “With the best will in the world, Dodi, this didn’t happen. And I never want to see you again around my cast and crew.” It was very unpleasant’
- Lord Puttnam.
Now 30 years later and a peer of the realm the ennobled Lord Puttnam has attempted to blacken the name of Dodi Fayed in the most vile and nasty way imaginable.
In a newspaper interview Lord Puttnam has said that he “suspects” that Dodi had provided cocaine to some of the cast of the film. Really? And on what basis does he make this most damaging allegation? Because, says the noble Lord, he arrived one day during the filming to find a number of the cast members “whose mood had clearly been altered”.
He says he suspected Dodi had given them cocaine and ordered him off the set.
Well I hope his Lordship is never prosecuted for a serious crime on the basis of such flimsy evidence. In fact no evidence at all, just suspicion.
Why has Lord Puttnam attacked the memory of the man who financed Chariots Of Fire for him and later died alongside Diana?
There could have been many other reasons for an actor’s change of mood – perhaps even fear. Nigel Havers, one of the stars of Chariots, said he concealed a broken wrist because he feared he would be kicked off the film if his injury became known.
Here are the facts. I knew Dodi for 12 years. I never knew him to take cocaine or any other drug and never saw him intoxicated. He was always moderate and pleasant in his behaviour and a model of self-control.
When there were unfounded allegations about drug use during his all-too-brief and ultimately tragic relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales, I asked him directly if he took cocaine or any drug. He looked me in the eye and said: “Absolutely not.”
Cuban cigars were the only thing I ever saw Dodi smoke and then very occasionally.
Dodi was never in his 42 years charged with any criminal offence in Britain, the United States or elsewhere. For Lord Puttnam, a leading member of the Church of England, to make such an unfounded allegation knowing that Dodi cannot defend himself is astonishing and utterly unconscionable.
Dodi has been dead for nearly 15 years. Why did Lord Puttnam not make his allegation when he was alive? By his own account Lord Puttnam did not see Dodi doing the things he now alleges. He just “suspected” he had provided drugs to the cast. What does that reveal about the man who is now one of the great and good of the British establishment?
If the then David Puttnam had genuine cause to believe that Dodi was taking or distributing drugs his duty was clear. He should have called the police and had users or pushers arrested. Not to have done so would have been a failure in his civic duty, perhaps even an interference with the course of justice.
The truth is that David Puttnam, who paid proper tribute to Dodi and his father when he picked up an Oscar for the only time in his life, owes a great deal to Dodi which makes his way of repaying that debt even more astonishing.
Chariots Of Fire gave him a rapid ride to fame and fortune. But it would never have been made had not Dodi persuaded his father to invest in the film. No one else would do so at that time when the cinema was obsessed with crime capers, sex scenes and profanity. The script had been gathering dust.
But the story of one man, Harold Abrahams, who triumphs over British snobbery and anti-Semitism to win Olympic gold in 1924 and another man, Eric Liddell, who refuses to compromise his conscience and triumphs too, appealed immediately to Mohamed Al Fayad and he put his money into the production as Puttnam rightly acknowledged.
Without the support of an Egyptian father and son the first British film to win four Oscars – and also a Bafta – would never have seen the cinema screen.
In an article Lord Puttnam has given credit to “the hidden hand” of God guiding him in the film’s production, enabling him to overcome every hurdle. Perhaps. But what is sure is that it was the hands of Dodi and Mohamed extended in friendship and support that gave life and birth to the most successful film Puttnam ever produced.
God’s name was not on the credits but Dodi’s was, as executive producer. As Hugh Hudson, the director of the film, said last week: “Dodi and his company Allied Stars were equal partners in the film from the very start.”
What a graceless way for Lord Puttnam to repay such generosity.
There must be something in the Bible about the denial of gratitude when it is due. But I can think only of what Shakespeare said. Ingratitude, he wrote, is “sharper than a serpent’s tooth”.
Above all, I think it is sad that Lord Puttnam should choose to mark the 30th anniversary of this wonderful film and its re-release in a newly digitised format by seeking to defame the memory of Dodi, a man held in great affection by his friends and in esteem within the film industry on both sides of the Atlantic.
• Michael Cole was BBC royal correspondent 1985-1988 and director of public affairs at Harrods from 1988-98.
"And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land"
"This is the vision at the very heart of our brand... It's not a logo, it's a brand that will take us forward for the next five years.
It won't be to be eveybody's taste immediately but it's a brand that we genuinely believe can be a hard working brand which builds on pretty much everything we said in Singapore about reaching out and engaging young people, which is where our challenge is over the next five years.
If we don't do that, then frankly the whole project [ZIONISM] is unsustainable."
Lord Coe of Ranmore,
Dark Lord of the Rings
The jagged emblem, based on the date 2012, comes in a series of shades of pink, blue, green and orange and will evolve in the run-up to the Games.
The word London and the Olympic rings are included in the first two digits of the new logo.
"This is the vision at the very heart of our brand," said London 2012 organising committee chairman Seb Coe.
"We will host a Games where everyone is invited to join in because they are inspired by the Games to either take part in the many sports, cultural, educational and community events leading up to 2012 or they will be inspired to achieve personal goals."
The new design, which cost £400,000, has received a mixed response, but Lord Coe was adamant it put across the image and message that he wanted the London Games to deliver to the world.
"It's not a logo, it's a brand that will take us forward for the next five years," he told BBC Five Live.
"It won't be to be eveybody's taste immediately but it's a brand that we genuinely believe can be a hard working brand which builds on pretty much everything we said in Singapore about reaching out and engaging young people, which is where our challenge is over the next five years.
"If we don't do that, then frankly the whole project [ZIONISM] is unsustainable."
" When people see the new brand, we want them to be inspired to make a positive change in their life "
Tony Blair
For the first time the same logo will be used for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Organisers hope the brand will boost the marketing push to raise £2bn to stage the Games and convey the message that London 2012 will be "Everyone's Games".
Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "We want London 2012 not just to be about elite sporting success.
"When people see the new brand, we want them to be inspired to make a positive change in their life.
"London 2012 will be a great sporting summer but will also allow Britain to showcase itself to the world."
Lord Coe wants the branding to appeal to young people
International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said: "This is a truly innovative brand logo that graphically captures the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games - namely to inspire young people around the world through sport and the Olympic values.
"Each edition of the Olympic Games brings its own flavour and touch to what is now well over a century of modern Olympic history; the brand launched today by London 2012 is, I believe, an early indication of the dynamism, modernity and inclusiveness with which London 2012 will leave its Olympic mark."
The brand, designed by Wolff Ollins, has been targeted at the young people the organisers hope will get involved.
It is a deliberate change from previous Olympic logos, which often feature an image from the city.
Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said: "This is an iconic brand that sums up what London 2012 is all about - an inclusive, welcoming and diverse Games that involves the whole country.
"It takes our values to the world beyond our shores, acting both as an invitation and an inspiration.
"This is not just a marketing logo, but a symbol that will become familiar, instantly recognisable and associated with our Games in so many ways during the next five years."
606: DEBATE
What do you think of the logo?
British Paralympic Association chief executive Phil Lane believes that having one logo for both the Olympics and Paralympics is a positive move.
"As the founding nation for the Paralympic movement it is fitting that Britain should lead the way in integrating the two Games," he said.
"We hope that the brand will succeed in inspiring Britain's youth and Paralympic athletes to success."
Plans have also been drawn up to create a different logo for grassroots projects backing the Games.
Your alternative London logos
It would not include the Olympic rings but would spread the benefits of hosting the Games to projects involved in its grassroots cultural, environmental and sporting work.
A London 2012 spokeswoman said: "It is not going to be a free for all. There would be conditions to qualify for it.
"It is not about giving it out to people so that they do not pay for it. It is about an emblem that could be a stamp of endorsement that really fits in with the legacy of the Games."
London Mayor Ken Livingstone added: "The new Olympic brand draws on what London has become - the world's most forward-looking and international city.
"That message of welcome and diversity was one of the main reasons for London's success in winning the Games.
"We offer the world the same exciting message that in 2012 every athlete and every visitor will feel at home in our city."
“At the behest of our leader Herzl [Hezl was an atheist, who did not believe or accept The Covenant] , I came to Basle to make preparations for the Zionist Congress. Among many other problems that occupied me then was one which contained something of the essence of the Jewish problem.
[Hezl also believed, and wrote of his belief, that the Jews themselves were the cause of "The Jewish Problem" in the world, due to their "inability/unwillingness to assimilate" into their "host" nations.]
What flag would we hang in the Congress Hall? Then an idea struck me. We have a flag — and it is blue and white.
The talith (prayer ahawl) with which we wrap ouselves when we pray: that is our symbol. Let us take this Talith from its bag and unroll it before the eyes of Israel and the eyes of all nations.
So I ordered a blue and white flag with the Shield of David [The design is the Seal of Solomon, based on the overlapping double-Inverted equilateral triangles representing the four earthly elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, and the Higher and Lower Realms mapped out in the Qabbalah ("Heaven", and "Earth"/"Hell" - As Above, So Below) - The so-called "Star of David" has no historical antecedent or connection with King David] painted upon it.
That is how the national flag, that flew over Congress Hall, came into being.”
— David Wolffsohn
This story, then, is NOT TRUE.
It's a false narrative - it's a lie.
It is generally understood (and almost universally denied, since it represents and inconvenient truth to everyone concerned), that the two Blue lines represent the borders of "Greater Israel" as described in Genesis 6 - those being, the "River of Egypt"
(originally claimed to be the Nile, in recent decades retconned to refer to the river subsequently named "Egypt" that roughly demarks the boundary between the Gaza Strip and the rest of the Sinai)
and the Great River of the Euphrates (which encompasses much of the Babylonian Flood plain around present-day Baghdad).
In our family portrait we look pretty happy
We look pretty normal, let's go back to that
In our family portrait we look pretty happy
Let's play pretend, act like it goes naturally
Again, let us quote from Zionist Sources as to their explanation for this phenomenon:
The Star of David
Unlike the menora (candelabrum), the Lion of Judah, the shofar (ram's horn) and the lulav (palm frond), the Star of David was never a uniquely Jewish symbol. The standard name for the geometric shape is a hexagram or six-pointed star, composed of two interlocking equilateral triangles. In a classic article, Gershom Sholem shed light on the history of the "Star of David" and its connection with Judaism and tried to answer the question whether it was appropriate to include it in the national flag or state emblem.*
One of the first Jewish uses of the Star of David was as part of a colophon, the special emblem printed on the title page of a book. Sometimes the printer included his family name in the colophon; or chose an illustration that alluded to his name, ancestry, or the local prince, or a symbol of success and blessing. The idea was to differentiate this printer's books from those of his competitors and to embellish the title page. Colophons are as old as the printing press itself.
According to Sholem, the motive for the widespread use of the Star of David was a wish to imitate Christianity. During the Emancipation, Jews needed a symbol of Judaism parallel to the cross, the universal symbol of Christianity. In particular, they wanted something to adorn the walls of the modern Jewish house of worship that would be symbolic like the cross. This is why the Star of David became prominent in the nineteenth century and why it was later used on ritual objects and in synagogues and eventually reached Poland and Russia. The pursuit of imitation, in Sholem's opinion, led to the dissemination of an emblem that was not really Jewish and conveyed no Jewish message. In his opinion, it was also the reason why the Star of David satisfied Zionism: it was a symbol which had already attained wide circulation among the Jewish communities but at the same time evoked no clear-cut religious associations. The Star of David became the emblem of Zionist Jews everywhere. Non-Jews regarded it as representing not only the Zionist current in Judaism, but Jewry as a whole.
The Blue Stripes
The blue stripes on the Zionist flag were inspired by the stripes on the tallit (prayer shawl). The tallit has two separate symbolic aspects: the light blue hue and the stripes. Some say that the stripes are meant to recall the one dyed strand of the ritual fringes (tzitzit). This leads to the significance of the hue itself. According to theTorah, one strand in the tzitzit should be light blue. To judge from references in the Talmud, it was a shade between green and blue. Many symbolic meanings were attributed to it. Rabbi Meir said that it recalls the color of the sky; Rabbi Judah ben Illai maintained that the color of Aaron's staff was light blue, as were the Tablets of the Law, and this is why God commanded the Jews to include it on their prayer shawls: "As long as the people of Israel are looking at this tehelet, they are reminded of {the words} written on the tablets and observe them." In other words, the sight of the color tehelet leads to observance of the commandments. White and tehelet, along with gold and purple, were the colors of the High Priest's raiment (Exodus 28: 4,43) and of the curtains of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26). They were considered to be the colors of purity symbolizing the spirituality of the Jewish people.
The first person in modern times who voiced the idea that blue and white are the national colors of the Jewish people, was the Austrian Jewish poet Ludwig August Frankl (1810-1894). More than three decades before the First Zionist Congress, Frankl published a poem entitled "Judah's Colors":
When sublime feelings his heart fill,
He is mantled in the colors of his country
He stands in prayer, wrapped
In a sparkling robe of white.
The hems of the white robe
Are crowned with broad stripes of blue;
Like the robe of the High Priest,
Adorned with bands of blue threads.
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.
A. L. Frankl, "Juda's Farben," in Ahnenbilder (Leipzig, 1864), p. 127
Frankl's poem was translated into flowery Hebrew and appeared in the periodical Hahavatzelet (The Rose of Sharon) in 1878. We do not know if the founders of Zionism knew the poem, but it is a fact that the flags of almost all the early Zionist associations borrowed the blue stripes of the tallit. A blue-and-white flag was raised over the agricultural village of Rishon Lezion in 1885 to celebrate the third anniversary of its founding. Independently of the Rishon Lezion event, a blue-and-white flag was raised in 1891 in Boston at the dedication of the meeting hall of the Bnai Zion Educational Society. That flag had blue stripes above and below a Star of David that had the Hebrew word "Maccabee" inscribed in its center. Bnai Zion first displayed their banner publicly in October 1892, during festivities to mark the fourth centenary of the discovery of America. This time the word "Zion" replaced "Maccabee."
Flag of the Bnai Zion Educational Society in Boston, 1892 The blue stripes of the Zionist flag serve as a counterweight to the message of the Star of David. They give the flag the religious and ritual aspect totally absent from the latter. Whether the symbolic meaning of the blue stripes was perceived consciously or not, their origin in the tallit reminds onlookers of the Torah commandments. The Zionist flag uses the Star of David to express Jewish unity, which is in turn guided by the precepts of the Torah, as represented by the blue stripes and white background.
Dual Loyalty
After nearly 50 years during which the flag served the Zionist movement worldwide, including the Yishuv (the Jewish community) in the Land of Israel, an ad-hoc committee of the Provisional Council of State in 1948 decided to "introduce a conspicuous difference - to the extent possible - between the flag of the State and the Zionist flag." Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Shertok (Sharett) explained that this was desirable "so as to avoid complications for Jewish communities when they raise the international flag of the Jewish people, namely the Zionist flag, and misunderstandings may occur, or the impression might be that they are flying the flag of a state of which they are not citizens." So that Diaspora Jewry would not be exposed to charges of dual loyalty, it was decided to organize a competition for new designs for the flag of the State of Israel, which would be different from the Zionist flag.
Flag Proposed by Nissim Sabbah |
The proposal of Mr. Nissim Sabbah of Tel Aviv, included components that recurred in most of the proposed designs: two blue stripes, a white background, a Star of David in the middle and seven gold stars.
Another proposal endeavored to reconcile the traditional with the modern. It attempted to create a sophisticated symbolism based on the number seven. The seven candles of the Sabbath lamp are crowned by seven flames, shaped like Stars of David; thus Shabat Shalom ("Sabbath peace") is blended with the seven hours of daily labor proposed by Herzl. Another interesting detail is the shape of the proposed flag, which is reminiscent of the Star of David: jutting from the bottom is the lower half of the Star of David, while the same part of the star is cut out of the upper edge of the banner.
In July 1948, Mordechai Nimtza-bi, an expert on heraldry, published a book entitled The Flag, in which he sought to determine the appropriate design for the national flag. Nimtza-bi agreed with Sharett that the Zionist flag should be adopted by the State of Israel but also - that this was not possible.
"Even after the establishment of the State, many Jews will continue to live in the Diaspora, and were the Zionist flag to become the state flag, these Jews, who are nationals of their countries of residence, would be flying the flag of a foreign country," he wrote. Nimtza-bi was well versed in the rules of heraldry, especially of the British Empire. The flags of some members of the British Commonwealth incorporated the Union Jack either in the corner, or the center. In his various proposals for the Israeli flag, Nimtza-bi wished to impart to the State of Israel spiritual authority vis-Ã -vis the Zionist organizations worldwide, similar to the relationship between Great Britain and the dominions. He created many variations on the Zionist flag. The Provisional Council of State did not accept any of his proposals, nor those submitted by the public at large.
Flag Proposed by Oteh Walisch |
At the tenth meeting of the Provisional Council of State, Moshe Sharett submitted another proposal, that of graphic artist Oteh Walisch.
In Walisch's design, the flag is divided crosswise into three equal sections: blue stripes at top and bottom, with a single row of seven gold stars emblazoned on the white section in the middle. This division differs from that of the Zionist flag, which had five stripes - two blue and three white. The relative widths are different, too. Walisch's design represents a deliberate departure from the Zionist flag. As noted, the blue stripes on the latter were taken from the prayer shawl. When Walisch moved them to the upper and lower edges of the banner and made them wider, the design was no longer an obvious reminder of the tallit. The disappearance of the blue stripes gives his proposal a more "secular" character.
In the meantime, Moshe Sharett decided to inquire into Diaspora Jewry's thoughts about the flag of the State of Israel. On July 20, 1948, he sent cables to Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who was in Switzerland at the time; to Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, in New York; to Prof. Zelig Brodetsky, in London; and to the Zionist General Council, in Johannesburg. Rabbi Silver replied that "we would prefer to leave the Zionist flag as the national flag of Israel, with a minimum of changes. We feel that the fear of complications as a result of use of the flag at Zionist gatherings overseas has been somewhat exaggerated." The other Zionist leaders responded similarly. After the fears of "dual loyalty" had been alleviated, the Provisional Council of State voted unanimously on October 28, 1948 to adopt the Zionist flag as that of the State of Israel. The resolution came into effect two weeks later, after publication in the Official Gazette.
The Tablets of the Law, the Lion of Judah, and Herzl's "Seven Stars," advanced as possible replacements for the Star of David during the discussions about the flag, were incorporated in other official emblems: the Lion of Judah is the emblem of the Municipality of Jerusalem; Herzl's seven stars are prominently featured in the emblems of Tel Aviv and Herzliya; and the Tablets of the Law appear on the emblem of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
The Star of David is an outstanding example of the variable significance of symbols. The power of the message they convey stems less from the original use in history. At first the Star of David had no religious, political, or social connotations whatsoever. It gained a very powerful connotation precisely as a result of its terrible abuse by the Nazis.
The blue and white stripes which symbolize a life of purity, guided by the precepts of the Torah, and the Star of David, which symbolizes rebirth and new life for the Jewish people, tie the State of Israel, through its flag, to the past, present and future. This is evidently why the Zionist flag prevailed over the political considerations that had prompted the leaders of the new state to propose substitutes for it.
Sources: Israeli Foreign Ministry; The author is an art histroian, art critic and a lecturer at the Open University of Israel.
*- G. Sholem, "The Curious History of the Six Pointed Star; How the 'Magen David' Became the Jewish Symbol," Commentary, 8 (1949) pp. 243-351.
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