What is the Nazi-era Yellow Star? Significance explored as Israel’s envoy Gilad Erdan wears badge while addressing conflict with Hamas at UN meeting 

A picture of Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, in which he was seen wearing a yellow star badge is doing rounds on the internet.

For those unaware, during the Nazi era, Jewish people were asked to wear a special badge called the yellow star. This badge had a simple six-pointed star on a yellow fabric with the word 'Jude' inscribed on it, which meant the word Jew in German.

At that time, Nazis forced Jewish to wear these badges so that Germans could easily identify the Jewish and commit atrocities against them. Over the years, this sign became a symbol of prejudice and hatred that Jewish people faced during that time.

It is also worth noting that this badge was first imposed in Poland in 1939 after Germany invaded the country. Governor General Hans Frank, said on November 23, 1939, that all Jewish people over ten years old had to wear a special armband with a blue six-sided star on it.

Later, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, they started making Jewish people wear the badge there too, but there wasn't one single rule for the whole area.

Different regions had different badges, and people had to wear them to show they were Jewish. If someone didn't wear the badge, there were serious punishments.

Moreover, the dimension of this badge is 3 3/4 × 3 1/4 inches and was made on a cotton printed material, as per the Jewish Museum.

Why was Erdan wearing the yellow badge?

Isreali ambassador Gilad Erdan was seen wearing the yellow star on Monday, October 30, while addressing the security council. At that time, he said that he would wear this band until the member of the UN body condemns Hamas' atrocities.

Erdan said at the UN meeting:

"Some of you have learned nothing in the past 80 years. Some of you have forgotten why this body was established. “So, I will remind you. From this day on, each time you look at me you will remember what staying silent in the face of evil means"

He further said in his address:

"Just like my grandparents, and the grandparents of millions of Jews, from now on my team and I will wear yellow stars. We will wear this star until you wake up and condemn the atrocities of Hamas."

However, this action by Gilad was immediately criticized by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum director Dani Dayan, who said:

"This dishonors both the victims of the Holocaust and the State of Israel."

Moreover, he also shared a tweet, in which he jotted down the symbol of yellow star badge and said:

"The yellow patch symbolizes the helplessness of the Jewish people and being at the mercy of others. Today we have an independent country and a strong army."

Dayan, in his post, said that they are now free and place a blue-white flag on the lapel, not the yellow one, thus it is disrespectful.