It is not logical, it does not make sense that they could not find even one figure worthy of being on the new bills, from the Jewish Sefardic community. The figures on the bills are meant to represent the people. The current situation corrupts and removes influential figures from the Sefardic heritage from the representation. This issue should be a bridge to unity, and not a commemoration of the current situation.

  -- Minister Silvan Shalom

The government approved the new bills to be printed in 2012, with the figures of:

• Rachel the Poetess on the 20NIS bill
• Shaul Tcharnechovsky on the 50NIS bill
• Leah Goldberg on the 100NIS bill
• Natan Alterman on the 200NIS bill

Shalom figures that because the current bills have been in circulation for 26 years, the newly approved bills will probably be for at least 25 years as well, making the final decision locking out Sefardic figures for at least the next 25 years.