Free Republic

JERUSALEM – Israel displayed for the first time Wednesday a collection of rare coins charred and burned from the Roman destruction of the Jewish Temple nearly 2,000 years ago. About 70 coins were found in an excavation at the foot of a key Jerusalem holy site. They give a rare glimpse into the period of the Jewish revolt that eventually led to the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in A.D. 70, said Hava Katz, curator of the exhibition. The Jews rebelled against the Roman Empire and took over Jerusalem in A.D. 66. After laying siege to Jerusalem, the Romans...

The quarter shekel coin, dated to 69 AD, is one of only four of its kind known to exist It took nearly 20 years of dogged detective work and a trail which crossed continents before the case of the missing $1m relic could be closed. "A cherished piece of history [is] finally going home," said a US official at a ceremony marking the occasion. That piece of history is a small silver coin rich in symbolism, minted during a Jewish revolt nearly 2,000 years ago. Looted in Israel in 2002, it was eventually tracked down, seized and is being returned...

"This is the third coin of this type found in excavations in Jerusalem, and one of the few ever found in archeological excavations," said the researchers.During the Great Revolt against Rome, the Jews in Jerusalem minted bronze and silver coins. Most of the silver coins featured a goblet on one side, with ancient Hebrew script above it noting the year of the Revolt. Depending on its denomination, the coins also included an inscription around the border noting either, "Israel Shekel," "Half-Shekel," or "Quarter-Shekel." The other side of these coins showcased a branch with three pomegranates, surrounded by an inscription in...

Israel, whose foreign currency reserves have traditionally been made up of Dollars, Euros and British Pounds, will add four new currencies – including the Chinese Yuan (RMB).Israel has added four new currencies – including the Chinese Yuan (RMB) – to its central bank holdings for the first time in the country’s history, Bloomberg reports. Israel’s Central Bank will also trim US Dollar (USD) and Euro holdings in a bid to diversify their foreign reserves.Israel’s foreign currency reserves, which last year exceeded $200 billion for the first time, have traditionally been made up of USD, Euro and British Pound (GBP) holdings....

An ancient limestone weight, dating to the First Temple period, was discovered in an archaeological excavation conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation under Wilson's Arch, adjacent to the Western Wall (the Kotel) in Jerusalem... Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, said: "How exciting, in the month of Tishrei, whose symbol is the scales of justice, to find a souvenir from the First Temple period. Now, when coming to the Western Wall is so restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic, this finding strengthens the eternal connection between the Jewish nation, Jerusalem,...

(IsraelNN.com) A coin from the Second Temple, used in the half-shekel census, was found in excavations in the City of David, just below and east of Jerusalem’s Old City. The upcoming Purim festival features the half-shekel prominently in its observance. The ancient silver coin was discovered in an archaeological excavation that is being conducted in the main Second Temple-era drainage channel of Jerusalem. The foreign coin is of the denomination used during the turbulent Second Temple period to pay the Biblical half-shekel head-tax. This coming Thursday night (Saturday night for Jerusalemites), before reading the Megillah (Scroll) of Esther, Jews worldwide...

The Bank of Israel lowered its benchmark interest rate on Monday to an all-time low of 0.1 percent on Monday. The move came as a surprise, after 11 of 12 economists polled by Reuters had expected the central bank to stand pat. The central bank cut the rate to signal its determination to push back against the negative inflation holding down the market towards its intended annual target of one to three percent. Lowering the interest rate theoretically leads to an increase in demand within the market and helps increase prices towards the inflation target which the Bank of Israel...

The Israeli shekel rose to its highest level in a year Monday morning against the sinking American dollar, under severe pressure as U.S. President Barack Obama continues to pile up the U.S. debt. The shekel-dollar rate now is trading at 3.769 after touching 3.764 earlier in the morning. Expectations are that today’s rates may be high compared to what is ahead. Merrill Lynch predicts that by next year, the rate will drop to 3.40, which would make the shekel worth 29.5 cents, compared with 26.5 cents today.

Two ancient coins, one used to pay the Temple tax and another minted by the Greek leader the Jews fought in the story of Hanukka, have been uncovered amid debris from Jerusalem's Temple Mount, an Israeli archeologist said Thursday. The two coins were recently found in rubble discarded by Islamic officials from the Temple Mount. It is carefully being sifted by two archeologists and a team of volunteers at a Jerusalem national park. The first coin, a silver half-shekel, was apparently minted on the Temple Mount itself by Temple authorities in the first year of the Great Revolt against the...

Translated from Hebrew to English by me Faruk Kaddumi, the Chairman of the Fatah and the foreign office of the PLO sitting in Tunis, says that there are discussions underway to change the Israeli shekel with the Jordanian dinar as the official Palestinian Authority currency.