Obverse: Chalice with pearl rim, legend reading "For The
Redemption of Zion"
Reverse: Lulav flanked by Etrog on either side, legend
reading Year Four
In 66 A.D., while Nero was Emperor of Rome, the last
Roman Procurator Florian was accused of stealing from the
Temple. To mock him, protestors took up a collection of
coins for the relief of the "poverty-stricken" Procurator.
Showing a rather poor sense of humor, Florian sent troops
to put down the disorder. This led to a full-scale rebellion.
The Roman troops eventually surrendered, but were killed
anyway. By now, the rebellion had grown to a full-scale
war. The Jews in Jerusalem started minting their own
coins, with victory slogans, such as this Shekel. But there
was also fighting among the Jews, as the more extreme
elements took control from (and eliminated) the moderate
leaders, under whom the rebellion had started. Nero sent
his distinguished general, Vespasian, to stamp out the
Jewish rebellion. But political troubles at home led Nero to
commit suicide, and Vespasian headed back to Rome to
claim the Emperorship for himself, leaving his son Titus in
charge of the Judaean campaign. Vespasian was ultimately
successful in his quest for the throne, and as Titus was
also ultimately successful in crushing the Judaean
rebellion. As a finishing touch, the Temple where the last
of the Jewish rebels in Jerusalem had holed up was burned
to the ground in 70 B.C.
How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket or
your purse? What eras and lands have the coin traversed
on its journey into our possession? As we reach into our
pockets to pull out some change, we rarely hesitate to
think of who touched the coin before us, or where the coin
will venture to after us. More than money, coins are a
symbol of the state that struck them, of a specific time
and place, whether contemporary currencies or artifacts of
a long forgotten empire. This stunning hand-struck coin
reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and intricate
sculptural details that are often lacking in contemporary
machine-made currencies. Depicted on the reverse, the
pomegranate was one of the seven celebrated products of
Palestine and among the fruits that brought to the temple
as offerings of the first-fruits. Two hundred pomegranates
decorated each of the two columns in the temple and were
an integral part of the sacred vestment of the High Priest,
as bells and pomegranates were suspended from his
mantle. The struggle of the Jewish people to rule their
homeland, as represented by this coin, has finally come to
an end in modern times. This coin reconnects us with the
past, with those who fought and struggled for their
freedom against an oppressive empire almost two
thousand year ago.
