Governor of the Bank of Israel Prof. Stanley Fischer has announced the new faces of Israel's currency. The names will be presented to the government for approval.
The personalities to appear on the planned new series of banknotes that will be issued in the next three years are Natan Alterman, Leah Goldberg, Shaul Tchernichovsky, and Rachel the Poetess. The series will consist of denominations of 20, 50, 100 and 200 shekel.
The issue was at the heart of a drawn-out rift between Fischer and Minister of Finance Yuval Steinitz, and it appears that Steinitz prevailed. Fischer had originally wanted former Prime Ministers Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin, but Steinitz and members of the planning committee opposed the idea. Minister Benny Begin, the son of the former prime minister, voiced strong opposition to his father's picture on the bills.
The Governor met on Wednesday with the Committee for the Planning of Banknotes, Coins and Commemorative Coins, headed by retired Judge Yaacov Turkel. Fischer told the committee that he has accepted their proposed personalities for the new series of banknotes.
According to the Bank of Israel, the members of the committee and the Governor believe that featuring these personalities on the banknotes "will help to instill in the younger generation of Israelis an appreciation of their contribution to Israeli society and to the state."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 10, 2011
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