100 New Shekels Leah Goldberg

Leah Goldberg — poet, novelist, playwright, linguist — appears on Israeli currency only in this series, making her one of the very few women to feature on a Bank of Israel banknote. The choice was not without controversy; her secular, European literary identity sat uncomfortably with certain political factions during the design selection process in the early 2010s.

Orell Füssli has printed Israeli notes since the 1980s, and the relationship has been continuous enough that the Zurich firm handles the bulk of the country's high-security paper production. Osnat Eshel, the engraver credited here, is one of a small number of Israeli artists who have worked directly with the Swiss printer on note design.