Living in Israel and becoming more and more imbued with the local culture and philosophy, we decided that there should be a special sign to separate "kosher" sites and other projects.
We were inspired by the compactness, elegance and simplicity of the shekel symbol.
Israeli currency
The shekel (שֶׁקֶל) was a measure of the mass of gold and silver among the ancient Hebrews and other Semitic peoples; the shekel of silver (a coin weighing 11.4 g) served as the standard unit of currency in the Near East.
Shekel of the First Jewish War: 66−71 CE.
Palestinian pound: 1948−1952.
Israeli pound or lira: 1952−1980.
Shekel "old" shekel: 1980−1985.
New shekel: September 4, 1985 to the present day.
Palestinian pound: 1948−1952.
Israeli pound or lira: 1952−1980.
Shekel "old" shekel: 1980−1985.
New shekel: September 4, 1985 to the present day.
Shekel symbol
The symbol of the new Israeli shekel ₪ is a monogram of two Hebrew alphabet letters — ש (shin) and ח (het), with which begins the full name of the Israeli national currency "שקל חדש" ("shekel hadash", new shekel), also shortened to ש "ח ("shah").
Following a competition organized by the Bank of Israel, a design by renowned typographer Zvi Narkiss and Yitzhak Gur-Arieh, a specialist in symbols and signs, was chosen.
The change of sign although dictated by politics also epitomizes a paradigm shift: the saturation of meaning while maintaining simplicity of form.
Kashrut
Kashrut is a system of ritual rules defining the permissibility or suitability of something from the point of view of halacha, Jewish law. It is based on the commandments of the Torah, as well as additional rules established by Jewish religious authorities, mainly in the Mishnah and Gemara, which together form the Talmud.
The term is usually used in reference to a set of religious precepts related to food, but it is also applied to other aspects of traditional life, from legal to domestic and ritual.
Kosher, corresponding to kashrut is כָּשֵׁר, three letters in all, and we will place them on the monogram:
The sign fulfills the principle of modesty from the Torah and the concept of harmony from the Talmud, it takes into account the meanings of the numbers from the Kabbalah (5 angles, 8 segments). The design is clean, correct and respects the traditions according to Shulhan Aruch. It is clear and does not contain unnecessary decorative elements, reflecting the simplicity and purity of thought according to the Rambam. The sign is harmonious and balanced according to the Midrash. At the same time work on it was not carried out on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
We plan to launch a kosher design direction, but more about that on a separate page and in Hebrew.