Abigail Klein Leichman
November 13, 2016, Updated November 11, 2016

Holy Land philately will be the theme of the Jerusalem 2016 Multinational Stamp Exhibition organized by the Israel Philatelic Federation and the Israel Post Company/Philatelic Service, November 13-17 at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem.

Three stamps depicting unearthed mosaics in Israel, designed by Meir Eshel, are being issued on November 13 coinciding with the Jerusalem 2016 Multinational Stamp Exhibition. This one shows a third-century mosaic found in Lod. Photo courtesy of Israel Post Company
Stamps issued on November 13 coinciding with the Jerusalem 2016 Multinational Stamp Exhibition include this one showing a third-century mosaic found in Lod. Photo courtesy of Israel Post

About 80 exhibitors, mainly private collectors, each will display up to eight frames (16-page stamp books) to an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 visitors including many Israeli schoolchildren.

Judges representing the invited countries’ national philatelic federations – United States, Hungary, Germany and Spain – will join Israeli experts in choosing the award-winners.

Individual exhibitors also are coming from Brazil, Canada, South Africa, France and Ukraine.

Visitors will be able to take home a special sheet of stamps featuring their own photo and illustrations by Israeli actor Chaim Topol.

2016 International Jerusalem Stamp Exhibition souvenir leaf. Image courtesy of Israel Post
2016 International Jerusalem Stamp Exhibition souvenir leaf. Image courtesy of Israel Post

The Israel Philatelic Federation runs 10 stamp-collecting clubs in Israeli schools and estimates the country to have about 15,000 adult stamp collectors. A 2013 Wall Street Journal article estimated the number of stamp collectors in the world at 60 million.

Several new stamps are being issued by Israel Post to coincide with the opening of the exhibition: three stamps depicting unearthed mosaics in Israel, designed by Meir Eshel; and a Tourism in Jerusalem series by Ronen Goldberg available as individual stamps or as a stamp sheet.

Jerusalem tourism stamp sheet issued in November 2016. Image courtesy of Israel Post
Jerusalem tourism stamp sheet issued in November 2016. Image courtesy of Israel Post