New stamps honor Olympics, Kollek

The Israel Postal Service released several new stamps Monday honoring the 2012 Olympic Games, the late Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek and commemorating the garments worn by the Holy Temple’s High Priests.

Forty years after 11 Israelis were murdered at the Munich Olympics and 60 years following Israel’s first participation in the Olympic Games in Helsinki, the authority released prints portraying athletes in various sports, including the high jump, artistic gymnastics and taekwondo, the Israel Philatelic Agency of North America announced in a statement Monday.

The stamp being issued in honor of Mayor Teddy Kollek honors his lifetime of service to the Jewish people, from his days as head of the pre-state Haganah delegation in New York to his 28 years of serving as Jerusalem’s mayor. The stamp’s design is based on artist David Gerstein’s portrait of Kollek.

Colorful stamps commemorating the breast plates worn by the Jewish Temple’s High Priests, as prescribed in Chapter 28 of the Book of Exodus, were also released. Each of the four stamps shows a different stone, representing one of the 12 Tribes of Israel.