5 Israeli Pounds Albert Einstein

The 1968 Israeli pound series was the last issued before metrication of the currency, and this note — along with the rest of the set — was designed with explicit intent to commemorate Jewish intellectual and cultural figures rather than military or political ones. Einstein had died in 1955; by 1968 his association with Israel carried real weight, having famously been offered the presidency of the state in 1952 following Chaim Weizmann's death, an offer he declined.

The Canadian Bank Note Company, a regular contractor for Israeli issues through this period, produced the series in Ottawa. Sam Hertz was the Israeli-side engraver; Bessi contributed the intaglio portrait work.