Retired neurosurgeon and presidential candidate Ben Carson, speaking about the ties between the United States and Israel, suggested that the relationship ran so deep that one could find a Star of David on the back of a one dollar bill.
While a hexagram—the geometric shape which is known as a Star of David—can be found on the back of the dollar bill, there is no evidence that this is related to Jewish symbolism. Snopes, a website that specializes in debunking myths, notes there is no mention of Jewish symbolism in the official State Department document describing the history of the seal of the United States.
“The reason why artist Robert Scot chose to arrange that constellation of 13 stars into the shape of a hexagram when engraving the first die of the Great Seal in 1782... is unknown, but the best guess is that he was emulating the arrangement of stars on the first American flag,” the website states.
Carson made this comment while speaking to the press at the Sunshine Summit, a gathering of Republican presidential candidates in Orlando, Florida. Earlier in the evening, he had said he would respond to the Paris terror attacks by using “things-they-don’t-know-about-resources” on terrorists.
The doctor has a history of sticking his foot in his mouth. Earlier this month, he said the biblical prophet Joseph built the pyramids to store grain.
—Tim Mak