Israeli new shekel ILS

The Israeli new shekel is the official currency of Israel. Banknotes are available in denominations of 20, 50, 100, and 200 shekels. Coins are in 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 shekels. The smallest unit of the shekel is called an agora.

History of the Israeli New Shekel

In 1952, the main currency of Israel was the Israeli pound, used until the 1980s. It was then replaced by the shekel, issued by the Bank of Israel, which took over the issuance of paper banknotes. After an economic crisis in 1985, the new shekel became Israel's main currency.

Interesting Facts about the Israeli New Shekel

The name of the Israeli new shekel comes from an ancient biblical currency of the same name. According to the Bible, Abraham paid four hundred silver shekels for the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, a place of great cultural significance to the Jewish people.