Zeev Jabotinsky

Ze'ev Jabotinsky
Special Coin Issue, 5741-1980

A Zionist activist in the struggle for Jewish rights in Czarist Russia, Jabotinsky was a man of many talents - a political leader, poet, author, translator, orator. During the First World War, together with Trumpeldor, he advocated the establishment of a Jewish army. He enlisted in the "Royal Fusiliers" and left with the battalion for the Palestine front. As Commander of the Jewish defence, during the riots in Jerusalem, in 1920, he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labor. Upon receiving a pardon, he was elected to the Zionist Executive. He resigned from the Zionist Organization because of his opposition to the British Weizmann policy, and organized "The New Zionist Organization" based on his Revisionist Movement. He agitated among the Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, for a mass exodus from the diaspora. As the commander of "Betar", he trained the Revisionist youth for war to conquer Palestine. He died in the United States in 1940, at the height of his campaign to set up a Jewish Army and establish the Jewish State.
His final request was for his remains to be transferred to Palestine, but only "By order of the Jewish Government which is certain to be established there". His remains were transferred to Jerusalem in 1964 by the order of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol. Jabotinsky was accorded a State funeral and interred on Mount Herzl.

Obverse: Face value in Hebrew - "25 Sheqel" on the silver coins and "500 Sheqel" on the gold. Above is the Israel State Emblem, around the upper border, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English, the mint year 1980 and corresponding Hebrew year in Hebrew characters 5741, around the lower border "Ze'ev Jabotinsky 1880-1940 and the corresponding Hebrew years in Hebrew characters 5641-5700".

Reverse: A portrait of Jabotinsky and the words "Ze'ev Jabotinsky" in Hebrew.

Edge: Silver B.U. - smooth., Silver and Gold Proof coins - milled

Mint Marks: On the obverse of the gold and silver proof coins, the Hebrew letter "Mem", on the obverse of the B.U. coin, a Star of David to the left of the face value.

Designer: Portrait - Tidhar Dagan. Inscriptions and face value sides - Zvi Narkiss.

Mint: Royal Canadian Mint, Ottawa.