Israel mints new Trump coin for Jerusalem recognition

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Israel started rolling out a new, commemorative coin with US President Donald Trump’s image on it. The initiative, say coin producers, is meant to show gratitude after the president officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December.

The US leader broke with decades of North America policy in December by officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and committing to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is disputed and claimed by Palestinians as the future capital of an independent Palestinian state.

The Mikdash or “Temple” Education Center in Jerusalem is the organization responsible for minting the new coin. Rabbi Mordechai Persoff met CGTN at the minting site to show the team how the coin is minted and explain its significance.

CGTN Photo

“It’s made of pewter coated with silver. Each coin costs 50 US dollars and we were originally going to mint 1000 coins but now, based on demand, we’ve decided to mint more. I think we’ll stop at 2000. We’re also considering minting 200 limited edition gold plated coins,” Persoff told CGTN.

The coins bear a likeness of Donald Trump together with historic, Persian King Cyrus. The names “Cyrus”, “Trump” and “Balfour” are printed on each coin.

Who are King Cyrus and Lord Balfour?

Lord Balfour was a British statesman and prime minister who, in the early 20th century, formally supported and was subsequently responsible for the formation of a Jewish state in what was then Palestine.

King Cyrus was a Persian (Iran) leader during the 6th century BCE who conquered Babylonia and permitted Jews living in exile to return to what is modern day Israel. Termed the “king of the Jews” (although he wasn’t), he is revered by both modern day Iran and Israel for his qualities as a leader.

Israelis, in particular, look favorably on Cyrus for allowing exiled Israelites to return to the land thousands of years ago and for encouraging a re-build of Jerusalem’s ancient religious temple in Jerusalem. The temple, the center of Jewish religious practice, was later destroyed in 70 CE.

In current times, messianic Jews - like Rabbi Persoff - and Christians view Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as an initial move toward rebuilding a third temple in Jerusalem and the coming of the messiah. Religious scholars have pointed to the year 2240 as the deadline for both.