Shortly after the founding of the State of Israel, the municipality of
West Jerusalem, under the administration of then-mayor , initiated a design contest among local graphic designers for an official municipal seal. The winning design was submitted in 1949 and officially adopted in February 1950. It was created by a team led by the renowned typographer and artist
Eliyahu Koren, who was then serving as the head of the Jewish National Fund’s graphics department. The seal’s design consists of a heraldic shield featuring the
Lion of Judah in a rampant position, representing the historical
Tribe of Judah and the
Davidic line. The lion is superimposed on a stylized stone background representing the
Western Wall (the Kotel). The shield is flanked on either side by
olive branches, symbolizing the city's aspiration for peace. Above the shield is the
Hebrew-language word for Jerusalem (
ירושלים,
Yerushalayim), set in a distinct typeface characteristic of Koren's influential work in Hebrew typography. ==See also==