Billy Joel Wears Yellow Star of David Onstage Post-Charlottesville

Billy Joel made a bold statement about the times we live in during a show by rocking the yellow Star of David ... this amid neo-Nazi rallies being held across the country.

Billy was performing Monday night at NYC's Madison Square Garden, and he bore a Star of David patch on both the breast of his coat as well as on his back.

He was raised by Jewish parents, and has described himself as culturally Jewish.

The political move comes on the heels of a violent protest in Charlottesville, where one woman was killed by an alleged participant in the neo-Nazi rally ... when hordes of white supremacists and neo-Nazis took to the streets, chanting "Jews will not replace us!"

Jews were forced to wear the Star of David in Nazi-occupied Europe leading up to World War II ... which ultimately led to the extermination of 6 million Jews.