In gratitude to US President Donald Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Jerusalem, the nascent Sanhedrin and the Mikdash (Temple) Educational Center are minting a replica of the silver half-shekel Biblically mandated to be donated by every Jewish male to the Temple.
Rabbi Hillel Weiss, Chairman of the Mikdash & Tsion Association that initiates the Temple reenactments and represents all the Temple movements, explained that the initial motivation for the putting the image of the US president on the coin was in gratitude for his support of Israel.
"Gratitude is an important and holy trait," Rabbi Weiss, who is also spokesman of the nascent Sanhedrin, told Breaking Israel News. "He did a great and historical deed that the Jewish People are grateful for."
An image of President Trump will be engraved alongside an image of the ancient Persian King Cyrus, who facilitated the building of the Second Temple that ended the Babylonian Exile in 538 BCE. (Read More)
*(The image is a proposed design. The actual coin may be slightly different.)