Zev Orenstein, director of International Affairs in the City of David, discusses two bronze coins depicting events in the city of Jerusalem two thousand years apart. The story is much more than a discussion of numismatics. The coins represent the living history of a nation’s struggle to survive.
Yom Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem Day, is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Israel and the reestablishment of Israeli control over the Old City. Mr. Orenstein explains a small part of the celebration by comparing two bronze coins.
In 70 CE, the Romans minted a coin to commemorate their capture of Jerusalem. In 1958, the Israel Liberation commemorative coin had nearly the same markings as the Roman coin. What were the reasons and the mystery behind the similarities and differences of those two coins?
Written by Richard Paracka
