Israel 20-Lirot Gold Coin 1960

I'd say MS-63, very handsome.

That's a nice gold coin. The symbol of the seven branched candlestick, called a menorah goes back to when the Old Testament was written and the design/dimensions of the first Jewish temple was written in the Bible. The candlesticks for the temple are described in Exodus chapter 25. The temple was built in Jerusalem. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first temple.

The earliest Jewish coin that shows a menorah is a rare 1st cent. BC coin of Mattathias Antigonos which has a menorah and also the showbread table that was in the temple.

The second Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans in the first revolt. They built a temple to Jupiter where the Jews' temple stood. Currently the dome of the Rock mosque sits on the temple mount.

The man on the coin is Theodore Herzl, an advocate for the Jewish people. After WWII and the Holocaust the United Nations voted in 1947 to partition Palestine into two states, one Moslem, the other for Jews getting back their ancient homeland. The ongoing conflict continues.

Thanks for the thoughtful comments livingwater. I looked up Theodor Herzl and he seems to be credited as the spiritual father of Zionism. Herzl was a journalist, lawyer, writer, and activist who advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the Middle East. A "Zionist" in this sense would be someone who recognizes and supports the existence of a permanent Jewish state in the general area known as Palestine. Seems like Zionist is often used as a perjorative nowadays but from my standpoint the Zionists are the good guys.

In any case I like the coin and would consider it a fitting tribute to this important figure in the history of Israel.