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1 Lira Hanukkah - Torah is Light
| Issuer | Bank of Israel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1958 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | The face value '1' appears prominently in the upper field, accompanied by the denomination legend in Hebrew reading '1 Israeli Lira.' Below, the issuer name 'Israel' is inscribed in both Hebrew and Arabic script. The Gregorian year 1958 and the corresponding Hebrew calendar year 5719, rendered in traditional Hebrew characters, are positioned in the lower portion of the field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A seven-branched Menorah occupies the central field, flanked on either side by an eight-pointed star of the type appearing on Hasmonean coins of the reign of Alexander Yannai. The design draws directly on ancient Jewish iconographic tradition. Beneath the Menorah, the Hebrew inscription 'Torah-Or' is inscribed in the exergue, a reference to Proverbs 6:23: 'Commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light.' The overall composition reflects a deliberate integration of ancient numismatic motifs with religious text. |
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| Additional information |
Israel's Hanukkah series, launched in 1958, was conceived as an annual commemorative program tying each issue to a different Jewish community's historic lamp design — a deliberate cultural policy by the young state to acknowledge the diverse diaspora traditions gathered under one government. This first issue references the Yemenite Jewish community. The Torah is Light inscription draws from a Talmudic phrase, and the series itself ran for decades, eventually becoming one of the most systematically collected modern Israeli programs among both numismatists and Judaica collectors.