2017-02-20 Mon

Israel’s new 100-new-sheqel note celebrates the famous lady poet Leah Goldberg and the new 20-new-sheqel note will depict Rachel Bluwstein.

Rachel Bluwstein (1890 to 1931) was born in Russia after which she immigrated to Palestine in 1909. She was imprisoned during the Zionist movement and is called as the founding mother of modern Hebrew poetry by women. The red coloured note has palm tree branches on the obverse along with the words from her poem “Kinneret” (Hebrew name of the Sea of Galilee) in micro-text. The reverse features the Galilee seaside and words from the poem, “Perhaps it was … nothing.”

The orange coloured 100-new-sheqel note features Leah Goldberg (1911 to 1970). She grew up in Lithuania and went to Palestine in 1935. She wrote many famous poems, drama and children’s literature. She was also a great translator and was known for the Hebrew adaptation of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Three almond tree flowers are featured on the obverse with the words “In the land of my love the almond tree blossoms.” The reverse pictures two gazelles and the words of her poem “White Days.”

An embedded watermark with the portrait and the denomination; a colour-changing security thread with three windows; raised ink on both sides; tiny holes in the shape of the denomination; micro text; a security foil stripe; colour changing ink; and transparent ink. Signs for the visually impaired are the features that are offered on the notes.