Ammunition Hill

AMMUNITION HILL
16th in the "Views of Jerusalem "Numismatic Bullion Series
Legal Tender issued by the Bank of Israel

Ammunition Hill is a national heritage and memorial site in north Jerusalem. It was here that one of the fiercest battles of the Six Day War in 1967 was fought. The site memorializes the soldiers who fell in the battle, and preserves the communication trenches and original bunkers. In addition, it represents the courage, brotherhood, and self-sacrifice of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers who fought for the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem.

The site was established during the British Mandate period in the 1930s as a military post and ammunition base, in proximity to the Jerusalem Police Academy. During the War of Independence in 1948, the Jordanian Legion took control of the area, and Ammunition Hill became a fortified Jordanian outpost along the “City Line” that was to divide Jerusalem between Israel and Jordan for 19 years.

With the outbreak of the Six Day War, in the morning of June 5, 1967, the Jordanian army opened fire along the “City Line” in Jerusalem. During the night between June 5 and 6, the Paratroopers Brigade received an order to break through the Jordanian defense system and advance towards the Old City. Battalion 66 of the Brigade attacked Ammunition Hill in a tough face-to-face battle, considered one of the most heroic battles in the entire war. After hours of continuous fighting, Ammunition Hill was captured. On June 7, the IDF completed the liberation of the Old City. With the famous declaration of Motta Gur, head of the brigade: “The Temple Mount is in our hands”, this moment became etched in the national memory of the State of Israel.

After the war, construction of a building on the Hill was considered as part of the development of reunited Jerusalem. However, it was the persevering efforts of the fighters and bereaved families that led to the establishment of a national memorial center at the site. Over the years, this has become the central memorial site for the battles for the reunification of Jerusalem. At the site, a Hall of Remembrance has been established, and its walls bear the names of 182 soldiers who fell in the Six Day War, in the battle for Jerusalem, among them, 36 Israel Defense Force soldiers who fell on Ammunition Hill.

Today, the site, which includes a museum, Sound and Light Show, and restored combat trenches, has become an important information center for pupils, IDF soldiers, and visitors from Israel and all over the globe. Ammunition Hill continues to tell the story of the fight for Jerusalem and the heroic legacy of the IDF soldiers in the Six Day War.

The 16th Bullion Coin in the “Jerusalem of Gold” Series is dedicated to Ammunition Hill, which has become a stark symbol of the heroism of the soldiers and their courageous fight, of the very battle that has come to represent the Six Day War. The coin commemorates the fighting spirit and self- sacrifice of the Paratroopers in the battle for Jerusalem, as well as one of the most dramatic, formative moments in the history of the State of Israel – the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem.

Coin Description
Reverse: A view of the meandering trenches on Ammunition Hill that have remained a silent testimony of the fierce fighting that took place there. Beside the trenches is an olive tree, symbolic of the olive trees that were planted on the Hill in memory of the fallen. In the upper border is the word “Jerusalem” in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, beneath is the face value and mint year in Hebrew and English. Around the lower border is the metal fineness and weight, and above, the Star of David mint mark.
Common Obverse of the Series: The Lion of Megiddo, taken from an ancient eighth-century BCE seal excavated in Megiddo (Armageddon) in 1908. Above the lion is the Israel State Emblem, and below it, “Israel” in Hebrew, English, and Arabic.

Design
Reverse Design: Lilach Rosman
Common Reverse: Meir Eshel
Mint Mark: Star of David
Name of Series: Jerusalem of Gold
Mint: The Holy Land Mint
Cat. No. 34113320

* Photographs are for illustration purposes only.