Sculptural Banknote
Five New Sheqalim - Levi Eshkol
Levi Eshkol (Skolnik) was born in the Ukraine in 1895 to a Hassidic family. He was educated in "Heder" (Hebrew Classes) and by private tutors. While studying at the Hebrew Academy of Vilna, he joined a Zionist youth movement and in 1914 he made aliyah as a pioneer. Levi Eshkol was one of the founders of Kibbutz Deganiah Bet, the Histadrut Workers Union, and later of the Mapai Party. During the 1930's, He worked in Nazi Germany, Poland, and Lithuania, transferring immigrants and their possessions from Germany. When David Ben-Gurion retired as Prime Minister in 1963, Eshkol was appointed as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. He improved relations with the United States, meeting President Johnson in Washington, D.C., and secured American weaponry for the IDF. The highlight of Eshkol's term, was the establishment of a National Unity Government on the eve of the Six Day War in 1967, which led to Israel's unprecedented victory. Levi Eshkol died while in office on February 26, 1969.
The back side of each banknote contains the state emblem, serial number, and signature of the artist - Zaltsman.
