In 1947, a ship called the Exodus left France for pre-state Israel. Aboard were over 4,500 Jews- including 1,000 children-all displaced persons (DPs) or survivors of the Holocaust. Intercepted by the British, the ship was towed to Haifa-but its passengers were sent back to displaced persons camps in Germany. The story was retold in a book by Leon Uris, which was then made into a film starring Paul Newman.

The Exodus sailed under a familiar flag, with a distinctive Jewish star and sky-blue stripes. Now that very flag is in the hands of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, thanks to two brothers from Chicago: Bill and Tom Silverstein.

The Museum called Bill and asked if he could purchase the flag-going up for auction in Israel last December-for the Museum. As it happened, he already knew the flag was being auctioned, since Tom, an avid collector of early-Israel memorabilia, had shown him that auction’s catalog. Tom flew to Israel and obtained the flag, which had been kept in private homes for nearly 70 years.

Once they had the flag, they noticed that its border had been written on by one Mike Weiss, who had labeled it as having flown on the Exudus [sic]. The brothers were worried that this would damage the value of the flag, but the Museum said this actually proved the item’s provenance. They already knew that Mike Weiss, an American crewman on the fateful voyage-the Exodus was initially an American ship-had secured the flag before the ship was returned to Europe.

Bill, currently serving as JUF’s Chairman of the Board, found the flag’s sudden reappearance timely. “There is an international conversation now about immigration, refugees, and resettlement.” The flag’s story shows, he said, “These are not new concepts.”

For Bill, having the flag available for public viewing again is “very gratifying.” He said that it has “different layers of meaning” depending on who views it, but that it “humanizes” the event for all who see it. “I think it would be very moving for a young person to see this flag,” he added, “because it creates a human spark.”

“It would be a loss for it to go to a private individual,” agreed Tom. The refugees on the Exodus were part of an effort to create “a new nation, a new home, from all over the world. It’s a pioneer story, one of perseverance.”

In addition to the flag’s historical value, Bill added that the act of giving itself creates a ripple effect. “I want people to examine how they think about giving,” he explained. “Giving can influence others to give.”