Gibraltar has issued commemorative coins bearing the Hebrew symbol for “chai,” which means “life” in English.
The coins were struck to commemorate the refurbishment of Gibraltar’s oldest synagogue.
Opened in March 1799, the Nefusot Yehuda Synagogue, which also is known as La Esnoga Flamenca, or Flemish Synagogue, is the largest synagogue on Gibraltar.
Gibraltar, a peninsula, is a British colony extending from the southern coast of Spain into the Mediterranean Sea.
Several hundred Jews live there.
The coins, which are legal tender, are available in gold, silver and copper- nickel and show Queen Elizabeth II on the front. The synagogue, the Rock of Gibraltar and the chai symbol with its English translation appear on the back of the coin.
The silver and copper-nickel coins are about the size of a U.S. silver dollar and cost $39.95 and $7.95 each. The gold coins, at $175, are slightly smaller than the U.S. quarter.
The coins are available through the U.S. office of Pobjoy Mint Ltd., at (414) 873-6772.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
