JERUSALEM — To many people, flags are synonymous with passion — the spine-tingling emotion of patriotism, the fires of deep hatred or the creative eloquence of poetry.
To Yitzhak Berman, head of the famous Berman flag factory, the symbolic banners mean an endless diversity of people and causes, as well as a deep pride in upholding top standards of customer service.
Berman’s Flags and Embroidery, the company’s official name, was founded 54 years ago by Yitzhak’s parents, Hela and Kalman Berman, refugees from war-torn Poland. Possessing a bit of knowledge about embroidery, the Bermans set up a small business on Helena Hamalka Street, in what is now downtown Jerusalem.
At first it was just the two of them — Hela, the seamstress and tough businesswoman, and Kalman, the gentleman who brought in new orders. According to son Yitzhak, the flag-making started quite by accident.
Around the time of the declaration of statehood, a government official poked his head in the door. Yitzhak related the conversation:
“‘Do you do embroidery?’ he asked.
“‘Sure,’ answered my father.
“‘Can you do embroidery on flags?’
“‘Sure,’ came my father’s reply. As it turned out, the man worked with the newly established Israeli government and brought my father a large order of flags. Since then, the orders haven’t stopped coming.”
When the pressure got too great, the Bermans hired another seamstress. Then, their two children, Yitzhak and Ruti, joined the business.
The small storefront on Helena Hamalka became more and more crowded with sewing machines, irons, hanging racks, ovens and other machinery. Pedestrians would have to divert their paths to avoid the flags drying on racks on the pavement outside.
Eventually, the family moved the main flag-making operations into two large rented halls in the Shatner Center industrial warehouse in Giv’at Sha’ul. The original storefront still houses a Berman’s Flags salesroom.
Today, Berman’s employs 19 workers, including five Berman family members, with Yitzhak in charge of new orders and customer relations.
As he lists the names of organizations making up the business’ clientele, there is a twinkle in Yitzhak’s eye, as he is amused by the parade of divergent groups into his office. Politics, however, doesn’t get past the front door.
“It’s an interesting porridge. We’ve made flags of 122 countries. We’ve also made flags for Dor Shalom (the Peace Generation) and for Shalom Im HaGolan (Peace with the Golan),” he said.
“We’ve made flags for the Women in Green and for Hebron is Forever at the same time as we made flags for Land for Peace.
“During the elections, we made flags for the Labor Party, for the Likud and many other political parties,” Yitzhak said, adding, “We also make the flags for the Palestinian Authority.”
Did any of his customers ever protest or chide him for his policy of giving service to all?
“Yes, one person did,” Yitzhak said, “but I told him that if I didn’t make a flag for them, someone else would.”
The Bermans’ practical open-mindedness is the source of oft-spoken family anecdotes.
Two months after the Six-Day War in 1967, eight Arab heads of state met in Khartoum, Sudan, for a major conference that produced the now-infamous Khartoum Resolutions calling for “no peace with Israel.”
However, when preparations for the conference were in swing, the organizers realized they lacked the flags of the participating countries. Who better and more reliable to turn to than to Berman’s Flags in Jerusalem?
“They ordered the flags, requesting only that we remove the ‘Made in Israel’ label,” Yitzhak said, laughing incredulously.
Another, now-legendary story features another Arab personage — the late Anwar Sadat, who visited Jerusalem in 1979, when he was Egypt’s president.
“We were given two days to make thousands of flags,” Yitzhak explained. “At the time, Egypt belonged to a confederation with Libya and Syria and all three countries shared the same flag.
“We made the flags and as they were being hung along the welcoming procession route, one sharp-eyed municipal worker who spoke Arabic said, ‘Hey, wait! These flags have the word Libya on them!’
“We took back all the flags and replaced the word ‘Libya’ with that of ‘Egypt.’ It was a complicated job, but we finished it on time.”
Unquestionably, it is Berman’s Flags and Embroidery — the only Israeli flag-maker to possess a certificate from the Israeli Standards Institute for its commitment to top-notch service and quality.