1/2 New Sheqel Jerusalem Third Millennia

Issued to mark the approaching 3000th anniversary of Jerusalem as a Jewish capital — dated traditionally to David's conquest of the city around 1000 BCE — this commemorative was part of a broader Israeli cultural campaign in the mid-1990s that included stamps, publications, and diplomatic events. The timing was deliberate: the Oslo Accords had just reshuffled international attention toward Jerusalem's political status, and the Bank of Israel's commemorative program that year carried an unmistakable assertion of historical continuity.