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1/2 New Sheqel Hanukkah - Syrian Lamp
| Issuer | Bank of Israel |
|---|---|
| Year | 2005 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Thickness | 1.86 mm |
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| Obverse description | The dodecagonal flan features the denomination '1/2' prominently in the center field, with the legend 'שקל חדש' (New Sheqel) inscribed beneath in Hebrew and 'NEW SHEQEL' in Latin script below that. The country name appears in three scripts around the upper rim: 'ישראל' in Hebrew, 'اسرائيل' in Arabic, and 'ISRAEL' in Latin, separated by a dotted border. At the lower portion of the coin, the inscription 'חנוכה' (Hanukkah) in Hebrew and 'HANUKKA' in Latin flank a small menorah motif. The entire design is framed by a beaded inner border following the contour of the twelve-sided coin. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a finely detailed depiction of an 18th-century Syrian (Damascene) Hanukkah lamp, presented within an ornate arched architectural frame. The lamp is richly ornamented with intricate foliate scrollwork, twin columns, and a central menorah flanked by decorative oil fonts and a base with eight wick holders. A crescent finial crowns the arched backplate, reflecting the lamp's Middle Eastern artistic heritage. The Hebrew inscription 'חנוכיה מדמשק המאה הי״ח' (Hanukkah lamp from Damascus, 18th century) appears along the lower rim of the coin. |
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| Additional information |
Israel's annual Hanukkah coin series has run continuously since 1958, each year featuring a lamp from a different Jewish diaspora community or historical period. The Syrian lamp selected for this 2005 issue reflects the artistic traditions of Jewish communities in Damascus and Aleppo, where distinctive lamp forms developed over centuries of relative tolerance alternating with severe restriction under Ottoman and earlier rule.
KM#391 circulated as ordinary pocket change despite its commemorative subject — Israel has long integrated Hanukkah designs into circulation coinage rather than reserving them solely for collector sets.