1 New Sheqel Independence - Higher education

Issued as part of Israel's long-running Independence Day commemorative series, which the Bank of Israel has produced annually since 1958 — each year tied to a different national theme. The 2006 issue marked 58 years of independence, with higher education chosen as the theme at a moment when Israeli universities were navigating significant budget cuts and labor disputes that had paralyzed several campuses in the years prior.