Synagogue Churva Fifth Gold Investment Coin Israel 1 Oz 2014

Series "Jerusalem of Gold" - Churva Synagogue

The Synagogue Churva gold coin, issued by the Bank of Israel in a mintage of only 3,600 pieces for the whole world, is the fifth investment coin in the very popular "Jerusalem of Gold" series. The gold coins in this series are issued as investment coins weighing 1 troy ounce (31.1g) with a face value of 20 new shekels and purity of the purest 99.99% gold.

The main motif of the reverse side is the Churva Synagogue of Jerusalem's Old City. Above the synagogue is the inscription "Jerusalem" in English, Hebrew and Arabic, then to the right is the denomination, year of issue and the mint mark - Star of David. The weight and purity are placed at the bottom of the coin. The author of the reverse side of the coin is Yaacov Enyedi.

The inspiration for the "famous Lion of Megiddo" motif on the obverse was an ancient seal from the 8th century BC found in Megiddo (Armageddon) in the Jordan Valley. The seal belonged to Shem, a servant of King Jeroboam II, who was king of Israel during the time of the prophet Amos. The lion is also a symbol of the tribes of Judah and Jerusalem. The same lion of Megiddo was depicted on the Israeli five lira note in 1958, the five lira coin in 1978 and the half shekel coin in 1980. Above the lion is the Israeli national emblem and below the lion is the inscription "ISRAEL" in English, Hebrew and Arabic. The obverse of all the coins in this series is by Meir Eshel.

Each gold investment coin comes in a deluxe gift box along with a certificate of authenticity.

Churva Synagogue

The Churva Synagogue, located in Jerusalem's Old City, was the main Ashkenazi synagogue in Jerusalem from the 16th to the 20th century, when it was destroyed by Jordanian soldiers during the Israeli War of Independence. On 15 March 2010, the synagogue was dedicated and regular services began.

In the 1700s, Rabbi Yehuda he-Chasid (Segal) and his 300 to 1,000 students (the number varies depending on the source) came from Poland and purchased the courtyard next to the Ramban Synagogue, which had been closed by the Ottomans in 1589 at Muslim instigation. They then began to build a synagogue on this site due to the growing number of Jews.

Due to the sudden death of their rabbi and the subsequent decline in the size of the community, the immigrants were unable to complete the construction and pay off their debts. In 1721, the unfinished structure, and with it the 40 Torah scrolls it contained, was set on fire by Arab lenders. Since then, the ruins on the site have been known as Churvat Rav Yehuda he-Chasid (Ruins of Rabbi Judah Chasid), abbreviated as Churva ("Ruin").

During the battle for Jerusalem's Old City in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence, Haganah fighters established a defensive position inside the synagogue and in its courtyard. After the Jews refused an offer of surrender brokered by the Red Cross, soldiers of the Jordanian Arab Legion shot a hole in the wall surrounding the synagogue. In the following 45 minutes of fighting, the synagogue was occupied. The Legionnaires entered the synagogue and attempted to climb to the top of its dome and place the Jordanian flag there. Three of them were shot by Haganah snipers, but the fourth succeeded. The Churva Synagogue was the tallest building in the Old City and so the Jordanian flag was clearly visible from the New City, marking the triumph of the Legions. Two days after the Legions occupied the Jewish Quarter, the Jordanians blew up the synagogue. The Jordanian commander who led the operation subsequently told his superiors, "For the first time in a thousand years, not a single Jew remains in the Jewish quarter. Not a single building was left intact. This makes a Jewish return impossible'.

In 2005, the Israeli government announced that Assad Effendi's design, which is based on a 19th century design, would soon be implemented. The government-funded Jewish Quarter Development Corporation, was to release $6.2 million (24 million shekels), roughly 85% of the total construction budget, and the rest was to be funded by the private sector. In the end, the government will pay only 11 million shekels and the rest will be financed by Ukrainian Jewish businessman and philanthropist Vadim Rabinovich.

That same year, 2005, construction work began. The restoration of the synagogue was completed and the synagogue was dedicated on March 15, 2010.

This product is part of the following product sets: