Welcome to the final episode of our 4-part series on the currencies of Ukraine and Israel. In Episode 1, the focus was on the respective histories of the currencies of these two states. In Episodes 2 and 3, we focused on eight prominent Jews born in Ukraine who were depicted on Israel’s currency. In this 4th and final episode in the series, we will focus on the currency of Ukraine. By 1994, less than three years after the break-up of the USSR, Ukraine had its own facility producing paper money of international-standard quality, security level and design. As we learned in Episode one, however, its establishment faced many challenges and obstacles. The establishment of a mint that produced coins took even longer, and followed an even more convoluted path. The first Ukrainian coins were made available in 1995. They were commemorative, or collectible, coins. A year later, general circulation coins were released. This coincided with Ukrainian monetary reform in 1996, when the karbovanets was dropped in favor of the new hryvnia. These early coins were produced at a temporary facility, a converted factory in Luhansk. They were the first coins minted on Ukrainian soil in over 300 years. Meanwhile, plans […]

In the last two episodes of Ukrainian Jewish Heritage, we learned that several Jews from Ukrainian territories were awarded one of Israel’s highest honors: their portraits depicted on the state’s banknotes and coins. And that Ukraine has returned the favour. In Episode 1, the focus was on the respective histories of the currencies of Israel and Ukraine. In Episode 2, we introduced four prominent Jews on Israel’s currency who were born in Ukraine. The poet Hayim Nahman Bialik, who is considered Israel’s national poet; Volodymyr Ze’ev Jabotinsky, whose legacy includes the Betar youth movement and the Likud party; Levi Eshkol, who built the foundation of Israel’s modern infrastructure as well as the army that won the six-day war; and Golda Meir, the most famous female politician in Israel. Today, four more natives of Ukraine on Israel’s currency. Moshe Sharett, Israel’s second prime minister, was born 1894 in Kherson. His family immigrated to Ottoman Palestine in 1906, then to Jaffa in 1910. The family became one of the founding families of Tel Aviv. After Israel’s proclamation of independence Moshe Sharett changed his surname to Shertok. Like the majority of the founding fathers of Israel, Moshe Shertok devoted his life to helping […]

The State of Israel was created and built by Jewish settlers who came mainly from Eastern Europe. Among them were quite a few natives of Ukraine, then ruled by the Russian & Austro-Hungarian Empires. Today’s episode of Ukrainian Jewish Heritage, Part 2 of our series on the currencies of Ukraine and Israel, features Jews from Ukrainian territories who were awarded one of Israel’s highest honors: their portraits depicted on banknotes and coins. As we learned in Part 1 of our series, Israel’s currency underwent several changes. From the Palestine Pound in 1948 to the Israeli pound— or the Israeli lira—in 1952, to the shekel in 1980. And finally, in 1986 the Israeli New Shekel, which remains Israel’s official monetary unit to today. Eight natives of Ukraine have figured prominently on Israel’s currencies over the years. The poet Hayim Nahman Bialik was born in 1873 in the village of Ivnytsia, in what is today the Zhytomyr oblast, or province. Bialik is considered one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry. His life coincided with the restoration of this ancient language, long considered a bookish, “dead” language. He also wrote prolifically in Yiddish. Bialik spent his childhood and youth in Zhytomyr. He […]

Banknotes and coins are not only means of payment, they are also a symbol of sovereignty. This is a story about two currencies, two countries, and two peoples with a long and closely intertwined history. The hyrnvia, currency of Ukraine and the shekel, currency of Israel. This is the story of how both of these countries have honoured the other with their respective currencies. Nothing confirms sovereign statehood like its own unique, identifiable and stable currency. And arguably, no two countries know this better than Ukraine and Israel. One of the biggest challenges of any new state is being taken seriously on the world stage as a sovereign political entity with a viable economy. To that end, engaging in international trade is crucial. And for that to happen, a new state needs its own currency. In 1991, shortly after the collapse of communism in eastern Europe, Ukraine suddenly found itself an independent state. After over 70 years of political and economic subordination, Ukraine was finally free of Kremlin control. But taking control of its own affairs after centuries of foreign control would be no easy task. As a new state, Ukraine found itself stuck with the Soviet ruble as its […]

Toxic terminology and the sinister manipulation of language can lead to murder.  A recent conference held in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Lviv in early June underlined the dangers inherent in the misuse of the spoken and written word. “The Seduction of Propaganda: Mass Violence in Ukraine in the 20th and 21st Centuries” featured leading international and Ukrainian academics and public figures in wide-ranging discussions of the lethal impact of propaganda. Their chilling analysis showed how the mechanisms of propaganda used by totalitarian imperial regimes provoked and legitimized violence against three peoples: the Jews in Hitler’s Holocaust, the Ukrainians during Stalin’s Holodomor, or Terror Famine, and the Crimean Tatars in their deportation. The conference also outlined how current academic knowledge can help counteract the politicized and mythologized interpretations of the tragic events of the past. Dr. Wendy Lower, a leading American Holocaust scholar, reminded us that truth is the greatest enemy of the totalitarian state. The Nazis suppressed free speech and alternative sources of information, severely narrowing the means for individual thought. With the Nazi regime in full control of information and propaganda, one can better understand the cynical comment by propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels that if you tell […]