The Hangover

I admit it. I love seeing the flags come out in Spring as Israel prepares to celebrate Independence Day. And I love it when those flags are still waving on Jerusalem Day three weeks later.

The flags - crisp, clean, shiny and new - remind me how much people struggled to build the state and how much they accomplished. The flags express a feeling of pride, and fill me with awe when I see so many on display all across the country.

But as we enter Summer, some of those flags are still hanging on the rooftops and doorways, and they aren't so crisp and clean. Some have twisted up into knots around gates or wires. Others have started to fray at the edges.

They don't express a feeling of pride anymore. They look neglected, like no one cares about them and maybe never did. Do people really care about something they can't be bothered to look after?

But maybe the opposite is true. Maybe people simply can't bring themselves to take them down. The flags become a part of them, and the fraying edges only add to their uniqueness. Like our favorite pair of jeans, we keep wearing them until we wear them out.