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Historic Medallic Judaica of Jewish Institutions & Foundations

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Click to Enlarge		 Argentina: commemorative tallion for inauguration of the Chaim Weizmann pavilion of the Bikur Cholim hospital in Buenos Aires, 1943; struck in nickel; not maker-marked; size: 29.5mm x 31.75mm; weight: 9.6g.

Obverse legend in Spanish reads "47 Aniversario Inauguración del Pavilión 'Dr. Chaim Weitzman' 17-X-1943"; reverse reads "Asociación Israelita de Protección al Enfermo 'Bikur Jolim' Buenos Aires".

The Jewish hospital in Buenos Aires was founded in 1896 as the "Bikur Cholim" hospital though it is better known there as the "Jewish Workers Union of Mutual Aid for the Sick" ("Unión Obrera Israelita de Socorros Mutuos para Enfermos"). Little is documented about the hospital in standard resources though the 1944-45 American Jewish Committee report on Latin America mentions that "The Bikur Cholim opened an unusually well-equipped out-patient clinic" - and this is probably a reference to the pavilion commemorated by the medallion. At that time Chaim Weizmann served as president of the World Zionist Organization (eg. the Zionist movement).

A fairly remarkable commemoration for that time because at the same period the Argentine government attempted to restrict Jewish identity and welfare activities. In AU.

More pictures: obverse of tallion, reverse of tallion
Item Code: 0130961 Price: €175


Click to Enlarge		 Argentina(?): Bialik School uniface tallion (ND); tin alloy; 40.5mm, 19.7g: reads "Esc. Ctrl. J. N. Bialik" in latin letters over an artistic design of Bialik's initials in Hebrew in the circle below, and the name "H.N.Bialik" in Hebrew at bottom.

Most probably from the "Escula [Central] Jaim Najman Bialik" in Santa Fe, Argentina. The school was founded in 1906 as the "Yiddish School", as a supplementary school to teach Yiddish, Judaism and religious Torah studies.

In time it became the "Zionist School", and started to teach also Hebrew. In 1936 the school adopted its present name of "Jaim Najman Bialik" and a separate school called "Talmud Torah" began teaching Jewish studies; in 1959 both schools merged. As this medallion only refers to the Bialik school and its design is not "modern" of the recent period, and is not similar to the school's present emblem, it probably dates to the 1940's-50's, prior to the merge. In UNC with a few minor rim nicks.

More pictures: obverse of tallion, reverse of tallion
Item Code: 0130269 Price: €50


Click to Enlarge		 Argentina: Jewish Community Center ("Centro Union Israelita") of Cordoba 50th anniversary medal, 1965; silvered alloy metal; manufactured by Alpaca; size: 27.75mm x 38.25mm; weight: 10.85g.

Obverse bears 5 line legend in Spanish commemorating the center's 50th anniversary; on reverse embematic device of the community with bare scroll below (where a recipient's name would have been etched), and a pair of shaking hands below. Appears to be a prize medal issued in time for the commemoration, probably for service to the community.

The "Jewish Union" was originally founded in 1906 with 25 members, and in 1911 the "Centro Israelita de Córdoba" was founded; in 1915 both organizations merged to for the "Centro Union Israelita", which appears to be a merging of Sephardic and Ashekenazi communities in Cordoba.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130927 Price: €50


Click to Enlarge		 Brazil: enamel pin of the Jewish Community of Sao Paulo ("Círculo Israelita de São Paulo"), circa. 1920s-1930s; not maker-marked; size: 11mm x 40mm; weight: 0.85g.

Design is of blue and white enamel with emblem at center and stylized metal lettering all around, "Circulo Israelita De S. Paulo".

An immigration wave of European Jews reached Brazil after the First World War and by 1929 in Brazil itself there were over 30,000 Jews and 27 Jewish schools. In April 1926 the "Circulo Israelita" was founded by young Jews who came from financially established and "emancipated" families (eg. families who had overcome the sprit of being "Ghetto Jews'), and had several branched in the center of Sao Paulo.

The "Circulo Israelita" was considered an 'elite' club, whose main activities were entertainment, encouraging social interation and attempting to tackle issues affecting the Jewish community.

Brazil was composed of many ethnic groups, from Europe and the Middle East, and in the spirit of the time each ethnic group tried to establish itself and integrate into the surrounding culture through proficiency in sports: in 1927 the Circulo Israelita established the Maccabi sports club ("Clube Esportivo Israelita Brasileiro Macabi"), as a Jewish sports organization; throughout the 1940's-60's both organizations were important pillars to the Jewish community (in the 1950's-60's the Pan-American Maccabi Games were held in Brazil and South America).

The "Circulo Israelita" existed as an independent Jewish organization until 1971, when it merged with its Maccabi branch and is now known by that latter name. A relatively rare item as although the Brazilian Jewish community numbers almost 100,000 members, very little of its history is documented.

More pictures: obverse of pin, reverse of pin
Item Code: 0130964 Price: €135


Click to Enlarge		 Bulgaria: Jewish technical school thimble (ND), circa. 1870-1880's: brass thimble inscribed in Cyrillic letters: "зтб еврейчета софия" (with Star of David device after legend), translated more or less as "Jewish Charging-Technical Base Sofia".

The thimble probably pre-dates independent Bulgaria (1877-1878), when she was still part of the Russian Empire as the legend translates most comprehensibly into Russian rather than Bulgarian (the abbreviation "зтб" make the most sense if translated into Russian and their best meaning found is "charging-technical base") - and the thimble's lettering bears a Tsarist-era style.

Although the Jewish community of Bulgaria is an ancient one and historiography records many institutions existing to serve the Bulgarian Jewish community, their details are scant (example: "From Sofia to Jaffa: the Jews of Bulgaria and Israel" by Guy H. Haskell, pg. 91-100). The oldest technical-related Jewish institution would have been the Russian-based "ORT" school network ("The Society for Trades and Agricultural Labour"), founded in 1880 - but it only opened in Bulgaria in 1926; otherwise, there was the "Miladinov Brothers" school in Yuchbunar which opened in 1891.

The Zionist-affiliated Alliance Schools of the period there taught in only Hebrew - which does not correspond to the Cyrillic used on this thimble. As such it may be a forerunner of either of the first two mentioned institutions above. Rare; in VF-EF with a few minor dents and with traces of original(?) red paint around the letters; 2.35g; not maker marked.

More pictures: side detail of thimble
Item Code: 0130349 Price: €275


Click to Enlarge		 Bulgaria: Jewish burial society "Chevra Kadisha" members enamel pin, circa. 1920's; bronze and enamel; not maker-marked; size: 20mm x 44mm; weight: 1.6g.

Stretched hexigonal shaped pin with emblem of coffin with Star of David emerging from behind (with rays) and legend in Bulgarian (partially transliterated from Hebrew) цедек вееметь - "Tzedek Ve Emet [Justice and Truth] Sofia 1921".

Very little information is available about the Sofia branch of the burial society: the book "Oriental Jews in Eretz Israel" by Moshe Gaon (Jeusalem, 1938) lists Abraham (Avraham) Astruc (died 1878), a notable Jew of Sofia, as having held a Synagogue in his house and being the head of the Hevra Kadisha of the city; it may be that his son, Ezra ben Abraham Astruk succeeded him in this position, although he emigrated to Palestine in 1882.

Until 1878 Bulgaria formed part of the Ottoman empire, and the somewhat better documented activites of the Hevra Kadisha organization in the city of Monastir (today's Bitola) in Ottoman Macedonia may be relevant: the Jewish community there was large, and at the turn of the 20th Century a Hevra Kadisha society was formed by Solomon (Shlomo) Levy of the city's charitable "Ozer Dalim" ("Assist the Needy") society, which itself was formed in 1894.

"Ozer Dalim" was funded through membership fees, employed non-Jewish doctors, provided the sick with medicine and food. established a maternity ward and special committees for different needs, including visiting the sick (a Jewish good deed known as "Bikur Cholim") and clothes for the needy. "Ozer Dalim" also helped establish the local "Chevrah Kadisha", whose activities in Bitola are recorded up to the 1930's.

A "Chevra Kadisha" is an organization of Jews who see to it that the bodies of deceased Jews are prepared for burial according to Jewish law: the task of preparing a body for burial and interring him is considered a good deed of truth ("Chesed shel Emet"), an activity of such importance that nearly every city with a small Jewish community raises such a society.

The (Ladino) Jewish communities of Sofia and Macedonia being very similar to one another, during Ottoman rule and then again during the Holocaust, under Bulgarian rule, it is very probable that the Sofia branch commemorated by this pin shares its history with that of its better documented sister branch in Monastir/Bitola. The few documents of the Sofia branch suggest that the society existed in one form prior to the First World War and was re-established again in 1921.

More pictures: front of pin, back of pin
Item Code: 0130946 Price: €275


Click to Enlarge		 China, Harbin "Jewish Music-Drama Society" token (ND), circa. 1910s-1920's; no marker marks; struck in copper; weight: 7.6g; size: 25.5mm.

Obverse bears legend in Russian around edge (partially abbreviated), "Jew[ish] Mus[ical]-Dramat[ic] Society Harbin", with two Chinese characters in center, separated by a dot between them; on reverse an image of a crowned figure with lyre and legend in Russian "Czar [King] David" - possibly the name of the society. Oddly, the Russian lettering on the reverse is written right-to-left the way Hebrew would be written. Plain edge and rim. In VF-EF.

Jews began arriving in the Chinese city of Harbin in 1899, following China's granting of a concession to Russia to build a railway station there. The Jewish community there developed quickly, particularly due to anti-Semitism in Czarist Russia. Of note, the Jews developed Harbin's cultural life such that by the 1920's the city was known as the "Paris of the Orient" and the "City of Music". Sources note that Harbin's Jewish community created a Jewish cultural club known by its abbreviation "Yilmadag" (similar sounding to the abbreviations used on this token), which presented lectures in Russian and Yiddish, dramatic performances and musical evenings.

This token is probably connected to the activities of Joseph Kaspe, the owner of Harbin's premier and luxurious "Hotel Moderne", which hosted many of the city's musical and dramatic productions; his son, Simon, was a gifted piantist who was kidnapped by anti-Semitic white-Russian elements in 1933, held for ransom and murdered. Of Harbin's Jewish heritage perhaps the most well known former residents are the parents of Israel's former Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert.

More pictures: obverse of token, reverse of token
Item Code: 0130626 Price: €550


Click to Enlarge		 France: Jewish Charitable Society 25th Anniversary, 1907; cast bronze medal by French engraver Felix Rasumny; 55mm, 71.95g: depicts image of well-composed people seeking assistance from a poetically dressed female "clerk" on obv. and an engraved dedication to "Monsieur G. Straus, Honorary President and Founder" on the occation of the 25th Anniversary (1882-1907) of the "Société Israélite de Bienfaisance".

Ethnic and religious charitable societies were widespread in France during the latter half of the 19th Century and first third of the 20th; although this medal cannot presently be traced to a specific city or country (France, Belgium, Luxembourg), as Rasumny was a French artist, it may be safe to surmise that the medal is French (the phrase "Société Israélite de Bienfaisance" is generic and such societies can be traced to numerous cities, including in French North Africa).

Though not featured in Daniel Friedenberg's books, and Forrer's dictionary does not mention if Rasumny was Jewish, this is possible as among his large body of work he also made a medal to commemorate Alfred Dreyfuss (1898). In VF-EF, with light holder residue on the top left of the reverse.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130040 Price: SOLD


Click to Enlarge		 France: "The Benevolent Jew" Society (circa. 1920), silvered bronze medal by French Jewish medalist Emmanuel Hannaux; 48mm x 70mm; 99.95g: artistic award plaque created for a fraternal benefit society ("La Bienfaisante Israélite"), founded in Paris in 1843, and intended to be awarded to a recipient though the field for an engraved dedication (reverse) is blank; possibly awarded around the period to commemorate 75 years to the Society's founding.

Though not mentioned by Daniel Friedenberg in his books on Jewish medalists, the American Jewish Yearbook for 1903 mentions that Hannaux was awarded the Medal of Honor from the Jury on Sculpture at the Salon of French Artists. In VF.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130043 Price: €200


Click to Enlarge		 France: Leonard Rosenthal and "Rachel House" (ND), circa. 1920's: silvered bronze plaque by Felix Rasumny (1869-1940); 48mm x 60mm; 80g: commemorating the founding president of the "Rachel Foundation" - a (Jewish) womens' professional school - on the 20th anniversary of the foundation's establishment and issued to General Weiller, a Grand-Officer of the Legion of Honor. In VF-EF.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130044 Price: €100


Click to Enlarge		 Germany > Berlin: Work Creation Charity of the Berlin Jewish Community, 1935-36 [5696]; cast bronze; not maker-marked (possibly by L. Fürst), size: 60mm, weight: 78.95g: obverse depicts image of mother helping support small child with German legend "Aufbringungswerk Judische Gemeinde Berlin" ("Work creation Jewish Community Berlin"); reverse shows image of Star of David with Hebrew prayer around the Star and German translation of the prayer inside the Star: "You [the Lord] open Your hand and sustain all living things".

The prayer text is a key portion of the "Psalm of Praise of David", of the daily morning "Shacharit" prayer service; the prayer, "Ashrey Yoshvey Beitecha..." is recited three times a day and the reciter is said to be eligible to reach the next world. A rare medal given the period of its mintage, in Nazi Germany, just after the restrictive Nuremberg Laws (of 1935).

The probable chairperson of this charity in this period was Rabbi Meir (Martin) Salomonski (1881-1944), a former German Army field Rabbi in World War I and subsequent founder of the Liberal Synagogue of Berlin in 1923. As head of this charity he tried to raise money from donations and collections to preserve the financial stability of Jewish institutions. No maker-mark; in EF-AU.

The designer name "L. Fürst" appears on another medal of very similar style issued by the Jüdische Gemeinde, and this piece may also be his work.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130033 Price: €600


Click to Enlarge		 Germany/Prussia > Breslau: Jewish Wilhelm School (Wilhelmschule) of Breslau, 1791; silver, size: 28.5mm, weight: 6.7g: one of the only Jewish school medals minted at that time, it commemorates the foundation of the Jewish Wilhelmschule of Breslau in Prussia.

Although the school was supported by the Prussian-Jewish aristocrat Lippmann Meyer, local insecurity over anti-Semitism led the community to pay homage instead (German legend: "Vom Grafen Hoym Veredelt") to the Christian minister, Count Karl von Hoym, of the Silesian government who made the existence of the school possible and who gave the Jews a new constitution in 1790 (JM-70 and 137). In EF-AU with good luster; Heyden-1846.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130017 Price: SOLD


Click to Enlarge		 Germany/Prussia > Breslau: Jewish Wilhelm School (Wilhelmschule) of Breslau, 1791; white metal, size: 21mm, weight: 2.25g, in F-VF: a smaller version of the 29mm medal which commemorates the foundation of the Jewish Wilhelmschule of Breslau in Prussia.

Although the school was supported by the Prussian-Jewish aristocrat Lippmann Meyer, local insecurity over anti-Semitism led the community to pay homage instead (German legend: "Vom Grafen Hoym Veredelt") to the Christian minister, Count Karl von Hoym, of the Silesian government who made the existence of the school possible and who gave the Jews a new constitution in 1790 (JM-70 and 137).

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130019 Price: €275


Click to Enlarge		 Germany > Frankfurt: Jewish Religious Society School medal, 1899; struck in bronze; designed by Jörgum und Trefz ("J. & T.") of Frankfurt am Main (engraver unlisted in Forrer); size: 39mm; weight: 20.9g.

Obverse depicts allegorical female symbol of Frankfurt ("Francofurtia") set against the city; on reverse 9-line legend in German surrounded by wreath device: "Andenken an der Commers der Prima der Realschule d[er] Israel[itischen] Religionsgesellschaft Frankfurt A[m] M[ain]" ("Souvenir of the Produce of the Fine Secondary School of the Jewish Religious Society in Frankfurt").

The medal was issued on 22 March 1899, three days before Passover (on the 25th), and the "produce" it commemorates may be related to that holiday. The Israelitischen Religionsgesellschaft (IRG) secondary school was founded by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch in 1853, who also founded the Orthodox "Yeshurun" religious movement, to uniquely combine Jewish religious studies with secular training. In AU with very light surface wear on highest points; chocolate toning with a few dark toning spots.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130010 Price: €175


Click to Enlarge		 Germany > Frankfurt: Farewell Medal for "Des Philanthropins" School of Frankfurt; tombak (no maker-mark), 80mm, 120.2g: the "Das Philanthropin zu Frankfurt am Main" (also known as "Real- und Volksschule der Israelitischen Gemeinde") was one of the largest and longest-lasting Jewish schools in Germany, founded in 1804 by Siegmund Geisenheimer (and inaugurated by Moses Mendelssohn); closed by the Nazis in 1942, the building was re-opened as an administrative center for the Jewish community in 1954 and sold to the municipality in 1978 (being subsequently re-opened again 2006 as part of the I. E. Lichtigfeld School).

The medal commemorates the then sad occasion of the building's closure and is engraved a "Farewell Medal" on the obverse with the founding and ending dates of 1804 - 1979, and on the reverse a darkly comical image adorned with the legend "in the beginning there was the idea... in the end it was [just about] money". The grind-box says "Public Opinion". In UNC with a few traces of holder residue.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130046 Price: €50


Click to Enlarge		 Germany > Hamburg: The New Jewish Hospital in Hamburg, 1841, by Hans Friedrich Alsing; bronze (large size 45mm), 42.35g: with bust of Salomon Heine and legend "Menschenliebe ist die Krone aller Tugenden" (in English: "Human love is the crown of all virtues"); on obverse view of the home with German legend "Frau Betty Heine zum andenken erbaut von ihrem Gatten" (in English: [dedicated to] "Mrs. Betty Heine built in memory of her husband").

Salomon Heine (1766-1844) was a German banker and philanthropist, the uncle of Heinrich Heine, and the principal benefactor of the hospital who dedicated its construction to his deceased wife, Betty. In EF, with some traces of luster.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130039 Price: €175


Click to Enlarge		 Germany > Hamburg: Jewish Hospital in Hamburg, 1841; by J.D.; bronze, size: 23mm, weight: 4.05g. With bust of Salomon Heine and view of the home.

Heine was the uncle of Heinrich Heine, and the principal benefactor of the hospital who dedicated its construction to his deceased wife. He established the new hospital in response to the poor medical conditions of the city's own hospital, and the Jewish Hospital was open to all residents of all religions. In VF-EF but with signs of cleaning in places.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130015 Price: €35


Click to Enlarge		 Germany > Hamburg: The New Jewish Hospital in Hamburg, 1841, by Hans Friedrich Alsing; silver, large size type - 45mm, weight: 43.75g, in VF: with bust of Salomon Heine and legend "Menschenliebe ist die Krone aller Tugenden" (in English: "Human love is the crown of all virtues"); on obverse view of the home with German legend "Frau Betty Heine zum andenken erbaut von ihrem Gatten" (in English: [dedicated to] "Mrs. Betty Heine built in memory of her husband").

Salomon Heine (1766-1844) was a German banker and philanthropist, the uncle of Heinrich Heine, and the principal benefactor of the hospital who dedicated its construction to his deceased wife, Betty.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130024 Price: €450


Click to Enlarge		 Germany > Hamburg: Hirsch Berend Oppenheimer medal by (Carl Heinrich?) H. Lorenz, 1868; struck in bronze, size: 45mm, weight: 40.15g: commemorating the Oppenheimer Housing Trust, founded in 1868 to provide subsidized flats for needy members of the German Jewish community.

Only orthodox Jews who observed Judaic law, and who had lead a clean life were considered by the trust, and those who had been reduced to poverty through not fault of their own were given precedence. The trust's tenants were obliged to attend all religious services.

In AU-UNC with lovely patina and luster; a few very light rim nicks and a few very light hairline scratches; signs of possible cleaning in a few places; Antoine-Feille (1908) #3827.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130012 Price: €425


Click to Enlarge		 Germany > Limburg: World War I tallion "In Recognition of the German-Jewish Kindergarten of Limburg an der Lahn", circa. 1914-1916; zinc(?), 27mm, 8.3g: depicts an 'eternal flame'(?) with the date "August 1914" (i.e. the month the 1st World War began) on the obverse, and the German legend "In Anerkennung Der Deutsch-Israelitischer Kinderhort Limburg a.L." surmounting an Iron Cross.

The medal's reference to the "Kinderhort" is probably to the better-known "Deutsch-Israelitischer Kinderheim" of Limburg zu Diez an der Lahn, founded in 1886 as a Jewish house of education for orphans and children from poor families and forceably closed in 1935.

In the absence of available information documenting a special contribution of the kindergarten to the war effort, a good supposition for this medal's purpose is that it either commemorates the institution for sending young graduates from its house to the army for military service (at that time children aged 16 were recruited for front-line service), or for providing beds/food for soldiers.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130031 Price: SOLD


Click to Enlarge		 Great Britain, Liverpool Educational award to Jewish Hebrew School pupil, 1880; by J. Moore; struck in bronze(?); weight: 44.05g; size: 44.5mm; thickness: 5.5mm.

Obverse depicts seated Priestly figure teaching two young children and legend "The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom"; on reverse a dedication from the Liverpool Council of Education to "Benedictus Hamburger" of the "Hebrew" Public Elementary School for maintaining regular attendance and good conduct for three years, engraved "1880".

An exquisite example of the [Thomas] Arnold-ean religious school system which Corelli Barnett blames for 20th Century Britain's unpreparedness for the challenges of that century. The medalist is either Joseph Moore the father (1817-1901) or the son; Forrer credits the father with several British school and recognition medals (vol. 4, pg. 136-141). The Hebrew School was founded in 1841, and was the first one to be established outside of London. In VF.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130640 Price: €80


Click to Enlarge		 Hungary: Jewish Youth Choir of Debrecen ("Debreczeni Izraelita Ifjak Dalköre") membership pin, circa. early 1910's; bronze and enamel; manufactured by Jerouschek of Budapest; size: 22mm x 66.25mm; weight: 5.2g.

Relatively thick rounded triangular pin depicting a harp with the choir's name in a white circle around it (punctuated by a Star of David), with professionally applied and soldiered pin on back.

The Jewish Youth choir was founded in 1910, numbering around 20 members, and originally conducted by a well known composer, Mano Gottlieb, who also helped finance it. The choir performed at the Royal Hotel, sometimes with guest Cantors leading the singing of the choir, and it also performed at town celebrations and even Synagogue functions.

The financial and military pressures of the First World War limited the choir's activities until after the war when it resurged, together with the Jewish elementary school and high schools as a center of cultural life in the Jewish community of Debrecen. During this period, in the mid-1920's Emil Adam Rothmann (1905-1987), a future Jewish conductor and composer, took up a position as a music teacher at the Jewish high school and also became the choir's director.

Rothmann led and cultivated the talent of the choir, earning accolades for it in performances and national competitions while it grew to 60 members, until the German occupation of Hungary in March 1944. In the course of the choirs existence it sang a repertoire of folk music, psalms, Yiddish songs, pieces by famous composers like Beethoven, Mozart and Bizet, as well as works by various contemporary Hungarian composers (including Rothmann).

The manufacturer of the pin, Jerouschek, was one of the major emblem manufacturers of Hungary, producing badges for the military into the Second World War.

More pictures: obverse of pin, reverse of pin
Item Code: 0130929 Price: €325


Click to Enlarge		 Hungary, "National Hungarian Jewish Relief Action" (OMZSA) appreciation medal, 1940; cast in bronze; by Jewish medalist Örkényi Stephen (István) Strasser (1911-1944); weight: 72.55g; size: 59.5mm.

Obverse depcits mother and daughter figures with exhortation in Hungarian "Testvéremet Ne Hagyd El!" ("Do not abandon your brother"), and artist's name behind the figures.

On reverse large device (probably organization emblem) with "OMZSA" and the name "Dukesz Ákos" inscribed above, with Hungarian legend around rim "Ezen Érem Tulajdonosa Teljesítette Kötelességét az OMZSA-val Szemben" (loosely translated, "The OMZSA is indebted to the person awarded this medal", the Hebrew date "5700" [1940] and a small Star of David engraved at base.

Although Hungarian Jewry was largely Hungarianized and patriotic, within the Jewish community there were two main groups which didn't cooperate well together: the Orthodox Jews, who were traditional, well established in financial circles and mostly anti-Zionist, and the "neologue" Jews of the middle class, with a Zionist orientation.

The "Országos Magyar Zsidó Segítő Akció" (OMZSA) was a pre-war fund-raising agency dealing with Jewish welfare and social work, and associated with the neologue community, and worked closely with the Hungarian Jewish Advocacy Office (Magyar Izraeliták Pártfogo Irodája) which distributed those funds (and in turn worked closely with the "Joint American-Jewish Distribution Committee").

During the Holocaust, in 1939 the Hungarian government forbade Jews from serving in the armed forces and instead conscripted military-aged Jews into forced labor battalions; by 1940 this obligation was extended to all able-bodied male Jews, and that same year Jews were expelled from holding certain professions.

Around the time the OMZSA undertook welfare activities for both the conscripted laborers and their families which they left behind, and this medal was part of the fund-raising effort; one source estimates about 3,000 Jews received assistance from the OMZSA in this period.

It appears the number of Stars etched on the reverse had something to do with the degree of assistance (or stature) of the recipient: an identical medal awarded to the Chief Rabbi Ferenc Hevesi bears three Stars. In UNC. The Jewish artist of this medal, Orkenyi Strasser, was killed in 1944, but the recipient may be the same person listed on Hungarian cemetary records, and survived the war (1892-1952).

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130606 Price: €325


Click to Enlarge		 Hungary: Pest Israelite Jewish Community High School sports medal, circa. 1920s; bronze, 38mm, 23.45g, in AU-UNC: depicting the "realgimnazium" building on obverse with Hungarian semi-abbreviated legend "A Pesti Izr [Izraelita] Hitk [Hitközségnek] Realgimnaziuma" ("From the Pest Israelite Jewish Community High School") and "Ero Az Ifju Di'sze" ("Encourage the Young") and Hebrew legend "To the glory of boys like you"; and reverse an image of a shot-putter.

By the engravers' names the obverse may have been created by G. Szekely (perhaps a relative of the Hungarian-Jewish female olympic swimmer Eva Szekely, b. 1927) and the reverse by Puderi. The realgimnazium is probably the new Jewish high school of the Jewish congregation of Pest, which was founded in 1919 and taught its courses in Latin, German, Hungarian and Hebrew.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130026 Price: SOLD


Click to Enlarge		 Hungary: Centennial Budapest Rabbinical Seminary ("Beit Midrash" - "Place of Religious Study"), 1977; uniface, .835 silver, size: 27mm, weight: 7.2g, in AU-UNC (luster and shine): with image of the Beit Midrash surmounted by legend in Hungarian "Azorsz Rabbikepzo Intezet Centenauriumara" with Hebrew legend beneath "Beit HaMidrash Le Rabbanim BeBudapest 1877-1977". Silver and mint marks on reverse.

The institute is known variously in English as the "Rabbinical Seminary of Budapest" and the "Jewish Theological Seminary - University of Jewish Studies in Budapest": in its time one of the most important Jewish institutions in the world for the training of Rabbis, which combined religious studies with general education and which shaped the outlook of Hungarian Jewry (but was nevertheless boycotted by the Orthodox Jewish community).

Among its notable staff members was its founding president the Chief Rabbi Dr. Joseph Shweizer, Dr. Ignaz (Yitzhak) Goldziher and Professor Alexander (Sandor) Shaiver. A rare medal: among the communist-bloc countries of eastern Europe, Hungary was unique in that the Rabbincal Seminary and the "Anne Frank" Jewish high school continued to function under the period of Communist rule. AU-UNC.

More pictures: obverse of token, reverse of token
Item Code: 0130003 Price: €135


Click to Enlarge		 Israel: False Half Shekel, 1955, issued by the "Leader Ha-Ari Foundation" ("HaAri" - the initials of "Rabbi Yitzhak Lurie"); cast copper-nickel(?), 38.5mm, 33.65g, in UNC: as per the legend in Hebrew, it was minted "In preparation for the 3000th year of Jerusalem the Capital's existence" by the "Machon Nasi HaAri YaHabetz [meaning of these initials unknown]", and "Half a Shekel 5715 (1955)".

The obverse legend, featuring the image of Rabbi Yitzhak Lurie Ben Shlomo further reads "Rabbi Yitzhak Ben Zvi Ashkenazi - Member of Horowitz [family]" - this may be a play on names, using the then Israeli President's name, Yitzhak Ben Zvi; the legend continues: "Founder of the World Knesset Israel Center in Jerusalem So Says He (sic), Tel Aviv P.O.Box 3085".

The closest relevant connection to the name Horowitz is Rabbi Yeshayahu HaLevy Horowitz (1558-1630; also known as the "Hashlah" for his book "Shney Luchot HaBrit" - The Two Tablets of the Ten Commandments), who was a contemporary of Yitzhak Lurie (1534-1572): he accepted and promoted the Kabbalism taught by Rabbi Lurie.

The reverse depicts the two Tablets, the Lions of Judea, a Judaic Menorah, ancient Jewish coins and other images of Judaism; the ribbon in the center reads "Mercaz Knesset Israel HaOlamit HaAri YaHabetz" (same legend as on obverse), and is surmounted by the Hebrew legend "Half a Shekel (with the Aramaic numeral) - Remember the Holy City of Jerusalem - Kingship of Judea and Israel".

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal, detail of missing "notch" in rim of medal
Item Code: 0130021 Price: SOLD


Click to Enlarge		 Israel: "Heichal Shlomo Jerusalem" medal; size: 30mm, weight: 18.15g: medal of the complex ("Hall of Shlomo") which serves as the seat of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate since 1958, named after Shlomo Wolfson, the father of Sir Isaac Wolfson, who donated the money for the contruction of the building.

The complex includes the offices of the Chief Rabbinate, the High Court of the religious Jewish judicial system, the chief Jewish library of Israel, and Synagogue. The medal depicts an image of the building on the obverse with the emblem of the Chief Rabbinate surmounted by a quote from the Bible "And They Judged the Nation with Fair Justice" (Deuteronomy/Dvarim 9-7, 18) and Hebrew legend "Heichal Shlomo Jerusalem" on the reverse. In UNC with some light holder residue on surface and edge.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130006 Price: €50


Click to Enlarge		 Israel, Yeshiva "Yachel Israel" / "Vizhnitz" Religious Institutions medal, circa. 1980's; silvered bronze; no maker/artist marks; size - 59mm, weight - 97.1g. Possibly a contributor's tribute medal; in UNC with a few tiny scuffle marks.

Obverse: a Hebrew legend "Yeshiva 'Yachel Israel', Ramat Vizhnitz Haifa" over an image of the Yeshiva building, and below reads in Hebrew "A tree of life is she to those who cling to her, and her supporters are happy".

On reverse: legend in Hebrew "Institutions of 'Seret Vizhnitz' in the Holy Land" above a stylized Jewish religious emblem of a crown and wings.

"Vizhnitz" is a sect of a branch of Orthodox Judaism called "Hasidism" and originates from the Ukrainian town of Vyzhnytsia. Hasidic Jewry preserves religious faith through an emphasis on Jewish mysticism and spirituality, and its founder is the famous Rabbi Israel Ben Eliezer (1698-1760), also known as the "Baal Shem Tov" ("Possessor of the Good Name"), whose chief spiritual opponent incidentally, was the famous "Vilna Gaon".

The connection to Haifa is that in 1952 the then leader of the Vizhnitz sect, 'Admor' (the title given a chief Hasidic Rabbi, the abbreviation for "Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabeinu" - "Our Master, Our Teacher, Our Rabbi") Rabbi Baruch Hager proposed the creation of a neighborhood (called "Ramat Vizhitz" - Vizhnitz Heights) there in order to establish a Synagogue and Yeshiva (religious training school) for the sect; Yeshiva "Yachel Israel" was built in 1957. The community there numbers around 400 families today.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130270 Price: €100


Click to Enlarge		 Libya: Talmud Torah School ("Beit Sefer Talmud Torah") in Tripoli, 1933-1934; silver, size: 27mm, weight: 8g, in F: a "Prize" medal awarded by the famous Jewish Torah studies ("Talmud Torah") school in Tripoli, Libya for the year 1933-34; the obverse legend in Hebrew says "A Smart Son Makes a Father Happy" (in Hebrew: "Ben Hacham Yismach Av"), surmounting a tablet of the Ten Commandments with "Book of Proverbs 12" ("Mishlei yud-alef") in Rashi script below.

The Sefer (book) Mishlei is also known as one of the Books of Wisdom of the Bible, which encourages the reader to lead a life of intellect. The reverse reads in Hebrew "Prize 5694" (1933-1934) and "Beit Sefer Talmud Torah Tripoli". Rare.

More pictures: obverse of token, reverse of token
Item Code: 0130018 Price: SOLD


Click to Enlarge		 Netherlands: Dutch Judaic medal for the Jewish Hospital and Home, circa. 1938; bronze, 60mm, weight exceeds 3g and is probably half a kilogram; in EF: bronze medal in heavy octagonal base, depicting elderly person lying in bed with Star of David, setting sun and the letters "JL" ("Joodse Invaliden" - Jewish Disabled) in the background. The Dutch legend below says "Peaceful Twilight Hours".

According to the Dutch Jewish Museum, the society sponsoring this hospital was founded in 1911 to provide shelter for the frail and elderly in a Jewish environment but funding was entirely from private (not governmental) sources and the difficulty in raising the needed funds delayed its establishment until 1926, and the hospital-home moved to a newer building in 1938, the event which is probably commemorated by this medal (only 100 were struck); in March 1943 the entire staff and patients of the home were deported.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130008 Price: €135


Click to Enlarge		 Romania: Jubilee of 25th Anniversary of the (Jewish) Society of the "Sacred Duty" ("Datoriile Sacre") in Bucarest; 32.5mm, 14g, in VF: medallic tallion with Star of David on obverse surmounted by Romanian legend "25th Anniversary 1901-1926" and on reverse "Society of the 'Sacred Duty' Bucharest" in Romanian with Hebrew legend in center (a segment from a ritual prayer - the expected duties/good deeds of a Jew), "Visiting of the Sick, Burial of the Dead" ("Bikur Kholim, Halvayat HaMet").

There is no engraver's mark on the medal, though judging by an error in the Hebrew (intead of the letter "Kh" in "Kholim" - "Sick", the engraver used the Hebrew letter "H"), the engraver was probably not Jewish.

Although the Jewish community of Romania was significantly large in the 20th Century, few researched medallic objects exist and little or no historiography in any language about its past activies is accessible. Originally a silvered medal, now with some surface wear and a few rim nicks; VF+.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130004 Price: €475


Click to Enlarge		 United States: National Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs medal, circa. pre-1950's; silver; manufactured by Popular E & M company of New York; size (tallion only): 23mm x 34.5mm; weight: 12.15g.

The medal is oval and uniface, depicting the Federation's original emblem, with its name around the edge, and attached to a blue and white ribbon.

The Federation is part of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, founded in 1929, but established across north American and abroad, including Israel. The purpose of the Federation is to build a network from existing Jewish men's clubs, to strengthen Jewish identity and help tackle common problems.

The Federation has managed over the years a series of different community programs and within their framework it issues service awards and prizes to members or affiliated clubs - and this medal is probably one of those prizes awarded in the past. Unlike most other (Conservative) Jewish organizations originating in the United States, after 1952 the FJMC ceased to view New York as the center of the Jewish community of America, and has elected then and since presidents from beyond the East Coast and also from Canada.

As this medal was manufactured in New York and bears the Federation's old emblem it probably dates from the 1930's-40's; in AU-Unc.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130931 Price: €70


Click to Enlarge		 United States(?): "Zions Schule" uniface token (ND), 19th Century; no makers mark; struck in brass; weight: 5.45g; size: 28.25mm x 28.25mm.

Obverse uses two different 6-pointed star devices on either size of the "Z" device. Probably an American token but probably not Judaic origin: sources refer to several German-Lutheran schools in the United States of the early and mid-1800's in Baltimore and Cleveland of this period, but similar Hebrew-German schools are not known by this name. In VF.

More pictures: obverse of token, reverse of token
Item Code: 0130639 Price: €35


Click to Enlarge		 United States: (Rabbi) Isaac Mayer Wise / Hebrew Union College 70th Anniversary commemorative medal, 1945; struck in bronze; no marker/artist mark; 63mm, 88.35g: with façade of the Hebrew Union College and Hebrew legend at base, "Source of Living Waters", with dates of commemoration (1875 - 1945) on obverse, and bust of Rabbi Wise on reverse. The legend in English on obv. "Three Score and Ten" (i.e. 3x12 + 10) may refer to 46 years since Wise's passing away.

Isaac Mayer Wise (1819-1900) was a Bohemian-born Rabbi with a reformist orientation who emigrated to the States to become Rabbi of Albany where he led a groundbreaking reform Jewish congregation. Wise was active in trying to establish unity among the diverse congregations of the United States, and wrote one of the first widely accepted and used prayer books among the American Jewish congregations ("Minhag America"). Wise's reforms were not all greeted with favor and following a fist-fight between himself and his congregation's president, he became the Rabbi of Bnei Yeshurun congregation in Cincinnati. Working tirelessly to create a theological seminary for the training of Rabbis, Wise eventually succeeded in founding the Hebrew Union College in 1875, and also succeeded in founding the Central Conference of American Rabbis (1889).

Exquisite detail and well designed (unlike many contemporary American commemorative medals). In AU-UNC, but with a surface scratch(?) or metal imperfection on obverse; laquered finish. Rare.

More pictures: obverse of medal, reverse of medal
Item Code: 0130263 Price: €275


Click to Enlarge		 United States: International Academy of Sciences, Education, Industry & Arts "Einstein" medal (ND); struck in brass; weight: 38.95g; size: 40.25mm.

Obverse depicts bust of Albert Einstein and legend "Big Medal | Einstein"; on reverse name of academy around edge and legend "For Outstanding Achievement".

The International Academy numbers several hundred distinguished individuals in various fields of statemanship and achievement, based in California. It awards a gold medal named after Einstein to individuals it chooses to recognize. In EF.

More pictures: obverse of token, reverse of token
Item Code: 0130641 Price: €70