Chief to be Featured on New £5 Note
A new British banknote featuring a portrait of the Chief Rabbi is to be issued later this year in an effort to literally 'restore faith in the economy'.
Sir Jonathan Sacks is one of five senior religious leaders whose images will appear on UK currency as part of a series of measures to tackle the credit crunch. The initiative was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Bank of England this week.
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A spokesman for the Bank said: "In these critical times, we must encourage consumers to act responsibly rather than just 'throwing money around'. We are aware that traditionally our banknotes have featured largely unrecognisable historical figures.
"However, by carrying portraits of contemporary personalities, and moreover those who epitomise ethical and spiritual behaviour, we hope that members of the public will take notice of their images and act accordingly."
To highlight the failings of the current notes compared to the proposed currency, the Royal Mint this week released the results of a survey which revealed less than three percent of those polled were able to identify all the figures currently portrayed - Elizabeth Fry, Sir John Houblon, Adam Smith, Charles Darwin and Edward Elgar.
By contrast, more than 57 percent of those surveyed recognised the Archbishop of Canterbury, while 19 percent correctly identified the Chief Rabbi.
Welcoming the principle behind the initiative, Manchester's Dayan Abel Grossman - an ex-officio member of the Independent Institute of Fiscal Development - did, however, express some caution. He said: "While Her Majesty The Queen always appears on the obverse of a banknote, it is a long-standing tradition that the reverse should honour a citizen who, during their life, literally made a note-worthy contribution to society, whether in the field of arts and culture, science and technology or health and welfare.
"This is a radical departure and, although I commend the decision to depict faith leaders, there is some concern over where the trend to portray contemporary icons on our currency will lead. How long, for example, before we see figures such as David Beckham or Amy Winehouse on our notes?"
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