Austria-Hungary: Vienna; Salomon Mayer Rothschild 70th birthday, 1844; struck in silver; by Konrad Lange (Vienna); weight: 61.25g; size: 49mm.
Obverse depicts the Rothschild family's coat of arms, with legend around edge "Für Seine Freunde Zur Feyer Seines Siebenzigsten Geburtsfestes IX. Sept. MDCCCXLIV" ["For his friends on his seventieth birthday celebrations 9 Sept. 1844"].
On reverse: left facing bust of Salomon Rothschild with his name and birthdate along edge "S[alomon] M[ayer] Baron von Rothschild | Born 9 Sept. 1774".
Around this time the medallist, Lange, was the assistant-engraver at the Vienna mint. Salomon Mayer (1774-1855) was one of five sons of the founder of the Rothschild dynasty, and expanded the family's banking business in Austria, establishing the S.M. von Rothschild bank and financing the Nordbahn railway network; in 1843 he became the first Jew to receive honorary Austrian citizenship.
In VF-EF with mirror-like surfaces and a few traces of original luster; Forrer vol. 3 pg. 297-298; JM-55/134, JMM-38-39 and GJPM-14.
Austria, Vienna; Ludwig August von Frankl Jewish Community recognition medal, 1880; struck in bronze(?); by Carl Radnitzky; weight: 29.1g; size: 39.75mm.
Obverse depicts left facing portrait of Frankl with legend "L:A : Frankl Ritter V:Hochwart"; on reverse the coat of arms of the "Jewish Religious Community" with date ("1880") above and motto in Germanic script below "Durch Wort und That" - By Word and Deed), with legend around rim "Dem Freunde U[nd]: Kollegen Die Beamten Der Isr[aelitische]: Cultusgemeinde In Wien" ["The Friends and Fellow Officers of the Israelite Religious Community in Vienna".
Frankl (1810-1894) was a Jewish Austrian poet and writer, who also studied medicine; he promoted awareness of Jewish history and aspirations in Habsburg Austria and engaged in social and Jewish philanthropic work which included the establishment of the Lemel School in Jerusalem (1856; see item 0130007 for a Lemel School token).
For his social and philanthropic work in Vienna, including his initiative to erect the Schiller monument (1876), the emperor Franz Joseph I conferred on him the hereditary title "Ritter von Hochwart" ["Knight of Hochwart"] in 1876, and in 1880 the city of Vienna honored him with the accolade "freedom of the city". This medal by the city's Jewish community was probably issued for this occasion.
Medal unlisted in Forrer though he considers the medalist, Radnitzky, to be one of the most prominent Austrian medalists of the 19th Century and holds his works in high recognition. In EF-AU; Forrer vol.5 p. 11-16.
Austria: Carl Andorfer commemorative medal, 1893; struck in silvered bronze(?); by Franz Xavier Pawlik (Austria); size: 32.5mm; weight: 20.15g; thickness: 2.75mm.
Obverse depicts Andorfer's profile facing left, with abbreviated legend "born in Vienna 1852", and Pawlik's name engraved on the shoulder.
On reverse a dedication in German surrounded by ornamental wreath device "Mitgründer Des Clubs der Münz und Medaillen Freunde in Wien | Seinen Freunden Zur Erinnerung Wien 1893" ("Co-founder of the Coins and Medals Club of Vienna | A Token from Your Friends"). Medallic strike, plain rim.
Karl Andorfer was a well known collector of coins and medals, and co-founded with Richard Epstein what eventually became a large collection of over 1,000 medals commemorating musicians (later purchased by the well known collector Paul Niggl). This collection formed the basis of a book he later published (1907) called "Musica in Nummis" (Music in Numismatics).
The medalist Pawlik at his peak was the First Medallist to the Vienna Mint and his extensive portfolio consists of numerous personal medals, including one of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In EF-AU; Forrer-434, ANA 1910 exhibition #433.
Belgium: Rabbi Dr. Henri Loeb, 1859; struck bronze medal by Leopold Wiener; size: 59mm, weight: 89.95g: with bust of Loeb on obverse and legend in Hebrew and French on reverse; commemorating the 25th anniversary of his election as the Chief Rabbi of Belgium.
The Hebrew legend reads "Torah of Truth is borne on his lips, and injustice not found in his speech, in peace and in expanses he goes with us, and many has he protected from transgression".
Leopold Wiener, an important Jewish engraver and sculptor of the 19th Century, served as the First Engraver of the Belgian mint, designed much of Belgium's currency at that time, several medals commemorating the Belgian Royal family, and produced a vast portfolio of medals. In VF+. JTM-PEM-3 and JMM-51-52.
Belgium: Chief Rabbi of Belgium E. A. [Elie-Aristide] Astruc, 1880, by Ch. [Charles] Wiener; bronze, 50mm, 51.2g: medal paying tribute to Rabbi Astruc's 15 years of leadership as the Belgian Chief Rabbi. Reverse depicts bust of the Rabbi, obverse bears French legend "Tribute of the Belgian Israelis [Jews] to E.A.Astruc Grand Rabbi of Belgium from 1865 to 1880".
Astruc was French born and became the Chief Rabbi of Paris before becoming the Chief Rabbi of Belgium (for which the French Emperor issued a special decree to allow Astruc to retain his French citizenship). Upon retiring his position and returning to France, King Leopold II of Belgium made Astruc a Knight of the Order of Leopold. The Jewish engraver, Charles Wiener, is the most prominent of the 3 Wiener brothers of Belgium who were all medalists. JMM-51-52. In VF-EF.
France: Alfred Dreyfus affair medallion (ND); copper(?); no artist or makers mark; 28.5mm, 8g: busts of Alfred Dreyfus, Emil Zola and Fernand-Gustave-Gaston Labori (defense council to Dreyfus); and Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy and Major Mercier du Paty de Clam.
As the medallion does not appear to favor one party over another in this long legal affair (1894-1906), it may date from the period of Dreyfus's re-trial and before his full exoneration (when there was, if only in formality, still some question regarding Dreyfus's innocence); circa. 1899-1900. In VF-EF with luster.
France: Alfred Dreyfus/Fernand Labori medallion (ND); bronze(?); 22.5mm, 4.2g: busts of Dreyfus and Labori below their respective names. Medallions like this one exist also in a larger 28mm size with thicker block letters, and there even exists a Russian-language version of the same. There similarly exist anti-Dreyfus medals and medallions, decrying (slandering) him as a traitor. This piece may date to period of Emile Zola's letter "J'accuse", which effectively reopened the trial (1898). In VF.
France, Paris; Chief Rabbi Moshe (Moise) Netter medal of appreciation, 1901; struck in silver (marked on rim); by Jewish medallist René Stern (Paris); weight: 172.05g; size: 70.5mm; thickness: 4mm.
Obverse depicts allegorical Biblical image of the Tablets on Mount Sinai with divine images of lightning above, grain stalks below and words "Country" ("Patrie") and Religion above with the Hebrew abbreviation between them for "One G-d" above a "shofar" device. In exergue an Egyptian landscape with Sphynx, at left the Hebrew words "Leil Shimurim" (eg. "Passover Eve") and on right the Hebrew date for Passover eve (in French) "Night of 14 [in the month of] Nissan; just above on a partition line is Stern's name and the date "1895" - in that year Passover night would have been on the 8th of April. In between in a circle is an emblem commemorating the 27th of September ("7ber") 1791, the date on which French Jews were emancipated.
On reverse, the name of the Union of Jewish Communities in France around the edge "Consistoire Central Des Israélites De France" with a 7-line dedication in center, from the Michel and Fanie Weill Foundation in Strasbourg to Chief Rabbi ("Grand Rabbin") Moïse Netter, on 3 January 1901.
As part of France's attempts to assimilate north Africa into French culture, Rabbi Netter was one of several Rabbis sent in the 19th Century, to Oran, Algeria, from north-eastern France to introduce greater French culture into the customs and habits of the local Jewish community. As the "Central Consistory" is composed of several "Departmental Consistories" (each led by a Grand Rabbi), Netter was probably selected to fulfill his role as the Chief Rabbi of such a "department".
He served there from 1892-1902 and during his tenure tried to stand up to the ethnocentric president of the local Consistory, Simon Kanoui (who helped build the Great Synagogue of Oran in 1880, and was known as the "Rotschild of Oran"), who was concerned with defending the native Jews' identity - but was eventually forced to return to France. He later served as the Chief Rabbi of Algiers.
As this medal has been seen before, in bronze, with a different dedication (from 1902), it appears Rene Stern used the design as a standard template before adding a customized dedication on the reverse. In UNC with a few small crimp marks from the manufacture on the rim; JMM-58.
France, Paris; Narcisse Leven 50th Anniversary of Alliance Israelite Universelle, 1910; struck in bronze; by Jewish medalist Emmanuel Hannaux; weight: 94.25g; size: 59mm.
Obverse depicts detailed left facing bust of Leven with French legend around edge "Narcisse Leven Pt. [President] De L'Alliance Israelite Universelle".
On reverse an allegorical image of female artist set against a castle and a canvas with Tablets of the 10 Commandments, two hands shaking and the Hebrew word "[the] Other", with the Alliance's name and dates of the jubilee (1960-1910) around the edge.
In AU with nice toning; some surface residue from holder; two light manufacturing impressions on the top rim on obverse; JMM-60.
Narcisse Levin (1833-1915) together with Adolphe Cremieux and 15 other young French Jews established the Alliance in 1860 to protect both Jewish and non-Jewish minority rights, on the basis of Judaic principles and the ideals of the French revolution (1789). The AIU promotes the ideals of Jewish self-sufficieny and defense through education and profressional development, and its motto is the Rabbinic injunction "All of Israel is responsible for each other".
The AIU embarked on a "civilizing mission" to advance the progress of Jews in the Middle East on the basis of French education and culture, and - from a numismatic angle - in this framework, in 1879 produced the AIU tokens of the Mikveh Israel Jewish agricultural school in Palestine. Leven was the AIU's general secretary from 1863 to 1883, its vice president from 1883 to 1898, and its president from 1898.
Germany/Prussia: Berlin; Daniel Itzig 70th birthday commemoration medal, 1793; struck in pewter/white metal; by the Jewish medallists Abraham and Jacob Abramson (Prussia); weight: 29.25g; size: 45mm; thickness: 3.5mm.
Obverse depicts right facing bust of Itzig; on reverse allegorical figure of Charity covering and feeding a needy child, with title in Latin above "Bene Merenti" ("Well Deserved") and 3-lines of Latin legend in exergue "Pietas Filii | Natv Maioris | MDCCLXXXXIII" ("In Reverence Dedicated by the Eldest Son 1793").
Itzig (1723-1799) was a Prussian banker of the firm "Itzig, Ephraim & Son", owner of large lead-factories and the Berlin oil-mill who was appointed "Münzjude" (mint-master) in 1756 by Frederick the Great, and whose financial skills and commercial contacts enabled the King to finance and equip his armies (through Jewish contractors) during the Seven Years War (1756-63). Itzig helped found the school for poor Jewish children in Berlin, became head of the Jewish communities of Prussia (1775-1799) and appointed "Hofbankier" (court-banker) to Frederick William II in 1797.
In VF with a few traces of original luster; JM-55/134, JMM-38-39 and GJPM-14.
Moses Mendelssohn (1729 - 1786), was a German-Jewish philosopher most closely identified with the period of Jewish Enlightment (the "Haskala") in the era of Frederick the Great. He collaborated with the dramatist Gotthold Lessing and gained fame with his condemnation of German neglect of native philosophers. In 1763 he won the Berlin Academy's prize for an essay on the application of mathematical proofs to metaphysics (among whose competitors were Thomas Abbt and Immanuel Kant).
Mendelssohn worked tirelessly towards the emancipation of Jews and in 1783 published his German translation of the Hebrew "Pentateuch", which gave German Jews a bridge between their Hebrew heritage and their German surroundings, encouraging their desire for integration. Mendelssohn's notions of assimilation/integration into non-Jewish society gave birth to the Jewish Reform movement.
He is considered the third key "Moses" in Jewish history, after the Biblical leader and lawgiver, Moses, and Moses Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe Ben Nachman, the "Ramban"), the 12th-13th Century scholar and commentator of the Torah. Father of Joseph Mendelssohn, the founder of the Mendelssohn Banking House, and grandfather of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
Germany: Moses Mendelssohn medium sized relief bust medal, bronze by J.O.; 62mm; 103.85g: depicting left-facing profile of Mendelssohn on obverse and on 3 lines, "Moses Mendelssohn 1729-1786". Minted by Robert Ball, Berlin; undated but probably produced for the centennial of Mendelssohn's death (the firm of Robert Ball minted medals both in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries). In EF. For a related item (large-sized medal) see item 0130200.
Germany: Moses Mendelssohn large sized relief bust uniface medal, bronze by J.O.; 100.6mm; 134g: depicting left-facing profile of Mendelssohn on obverse; reverse is incused, with loop for hanging the medal. The minter's name ("Verlag Rob Ball Nchf Berlin") - Robert Ball, Berlin - appears along the edge below the bust. Undated but probably produced for the centennial of Mendelssohn's death (the firm of Robert Ball minted medals both in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries). In AU. For a related item (medium-sized medal) with the same relief profile image, see item 0130191.
Germany: Moses Mendelssohn "Phaedon" medal, circa. 1774; struck in silver, by Jacob and Abraham Abramson ("I. Abraham & F."; Prussia/Germany); 42.5mm, 28.65g: depicts skull with butterfly above the words "Natus 1729" (in roman numerals) - Mendelssohn's birthdate - and under the word "Phaedon" on obverse, and bust of Mendelssohn facing left on reverse (cut by the father, Jacob).
"Phaedon" refers to a philiosophic work (1767) by Mendelssohn modeled on the dialogue of the same name by Plato, for which he became known as the "German Socrates". This medal is the work of a father-son team of Prussian Jewish medalists, of whom the son, Abraham is considered by some experts to be the finest 18th Century medal engraver. Daniel Friedenberg notes that this medal is "one of the dozen most important Jewish medals ever issued", and probably the most important work of the Abramson's.
The medal exists also as a cast issue; and in bronze and tin. In VF, retaining its luster; JM-54-55 & 131, JMM-34-35 & 38-39 and GJPM-46.
Germany: Moses Mendelssohn "Phaedon" medal, circa. 1774; in blackened bronze (alloy?), by Jacob and Abraham Abramson ("I. Abraham & F."; Prussia/Germany); 42mm, 18.05g.
Appears cast but relatively light-weight: Friedenberg notes that this medal exists in silver, bronze and tin; although lighter weight than item 0130194 (struck bronze), the metal content here seems to be bronze as well and not tin (JM-131), but the planchet is uneven in places (relative to item 0130194), and may be a later-made copy using the original dies (which would account for this piece's relative lack of wear but poor detail and precision, for instance in the word "Phaedon", whose letters have thick drawn-out bases).
Friedenberg comments that this medal was instantly recognized for its artistry, and subsequently many were struck (JM-55). In EF; JM-54-55 & 131, JMM-34-35 & 38-39 and GJPM-46.
Germany: Moses Mendelssohn "Phaedon" medal, circa. 1774; struck in bronze, by Jacob and Abraham Abramson ("I. Abraham & F."; Prussia/Germany); 42.5mm, 22.9g. Friedenberg notes that this medal exists in silver, bronze and tin. In VF+ but exhibits good detail and toning. JM-54-55 & 131, JMM-34-35 & 38-39 and GJPM-46.
Germany: Moses Mendelssohn Bicentennial medal (1929), struck in .999 silver by [Friedrich Wilhelm] Hörnlein (1873 - 1945); 38mm, 17.85g: depicts left-facing profile of Mendelssohn on obverse and his name and birthdate (6 Sept. 1729-1929) under a "heavenly" Star of David. Incuse on edge: "Sächs.M. 999" - Sächsisches Münze - Saxony Mint.
Hörnlein designed many medals in the first quarter of the 20th Century, including notably the 1917 silver 3 Mark coin (KM-1276) commemorating the 400th Anniversary of the Reformation (with a bust of Friedrich August III "the Wise") - an extremely rare piece as only 100 of the proposed 330,000 were produced (due to a tight wartime silver market). In this same year (1929) he also created a bicentennial medal of Mendelssohn's friend Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. In AU-UNC, exhibits luster.
Germany: Moses Mendelsohn Research Center for European-Jewish Studies at the University of Potsdam, 1993; in .999 silver by Helmut König; 40mm, 33.3g: a jointly produced medal limited to 50 copies, by the University of Potsdam and the New Synagogue Berlin (Centrum Judaicum) to commemorate the establishment of the Moses Mendelsohn Research Center ("Moses-Mendelsohn-Zentrums" - MMZ) at the University of Potsdam.
Depicts an artistic rendition, possibly of the King Frederick the Great's bestowment (1763) to Mendelssohn of the privilege of Protected Jew ("Schutzjude"), which assured his right to undisturbed residence in Berlin on the obverse and a right-facing bust of Mendelssohn on the reverse.
The Center is a research institute which was founded on the 50th anniversary of the Wannsee Conference (at which the "Final Solution" to the Third Reich's treatment of European Jewry - extermination - was decided upon). Every year, since 1993, the Center awards its "Moses Mendelssohn Medal" (see item 0130198) to individuals who have promoted the tolerance and international understanding in the tradition of Mendelssohn, and its recipients (among them also Israelis) include Daniel Barenboim (2009), Arno Lustiger (1999) and Ignatz Bubis (1994). In Proof state, with some signs of exposure to air and toning along the rim.
Germany/East Germany: 775th Anniversary of Dessau 1213-1988 / Mendelssohn bust medal (1988); in bronze, by Helmut König; 40.5mm, 31.35g: depicts arms of the city of Dessau on obverse and left-facing bust of Moses Mendelssohn on reverse.
Of note is that both the city and the medalist were based in East Germany (GDR) of that time, and nevertheless Konig depicted a Jew on the medal (albeit his figure looks more devilish than in Koenig's other work - see item 0130196).
Mendelssohn was born in Dessau, but in light of the regime at the time (1988) it is nevertheless remarkable that this subject was chosen to adorn a coin celebrating the hertiage of the city. In Proof state (case is cracked).
Germany: Moses Mendelssohn Center ("Moses-Mendelsohn-Zentrum") award(?) medal (ND); in .999 silver, by Helmut König; 40.5mm, 34.45g: obverse depicts emblem of the Center, which is the stylized twin Hebrew letters "Mem" and "Mem" (for Moses Mendelssohn) above simple boxes with the text names of the Center at the University of Potsdam and the Foundation of the New Synagogue of Berlin "Centrum Judaicum"; reverse is identical to item 0130196 (Mendelssohn's bust facing right with his name and dates of birth/death).
Prior to 2009 this may be the design as evidenced by the medal's size in the photo of Charlotte Knobloch's presentation in 2008 and the implication of the image shown on the website of the MMZ (which shows an image of the reverse of this medal on its page about the "Moses Mendelssohn-Medaille"); as of 2009 however, this is not the actual medal (which is now much larger and depicts a left-facing bust of Mendelssohn, as seen in the photo of Daniel Barenboim receiving the award).
This particular piece was aquired by the consignor before 2009: as of 2009, lacking any special subject content on the medal, if this medal is still produced it may be for participants of the ceremony (in line with its apparent depiction of the institute's website), since the center would be too small to produce a silver medal like this for the mere purpose of memorabilia.
The "Moses Mendelssohn Medal" has been awarded annually since 1993 "to deserving individuals who have shown commitment to the purposes and in the tradition of thought of Moses Mendelssohn for international understanding and tolerance and against xenophobia. The figures are honored with the medal in their work with the goals of our institute in accordance with their commitment and promote the dissemination of the idea of tolerance in society."
No sources as yet indicate how many such medals are produced annually, though only 1 is awarded each year. Rare. In Proof state. Past recipients of the award are: Daniel Barenboim (2009); Charlotte Knobloch, München (2008); Dr. Hans Keilson, Hilversum (2007); Dr. Manfred Lahnstein, former Federal Minister, Hamburg (2006); Dr. Jörg Hillebrandt, senior medical officer, Berlin (2006); Dr. Lorraine Beitler, New York (2005); Ari Rath, Jerusalem (2002); Dr. Martin Gabriel, Hannover (2000); Werner Hartmann, Halberstadt (2000); Manfred Wolff, Berlin (2000); Arno Lustiger, Frankfurt (1999); Prof. Dr. Kurt Biedenkopf, Minister President of Saxony (1998); Prof. Dr.hc Ernst Benda, Freiburg (1995); Ignatz Bubis, Chairman of the Central Council of Jews (1994); Dr. Manfred Stolpe, Prime Minister of Brandenburg (1994); Prof. Dr. Rolf Mitzner, founding rector of the University of Potsdam (1993); Dr. Hinrich Enderlein, Minister of State of Brandenburg, (1993); Prof. Dr. Yirmiyahu Yovel, Jerusalem (1993); Benjamin Navon, Israel's ambassador in Germany (1993)
Germany, Rhineland Palatinate, Speyer; 50 Years of Service medal of appreciation to Ludwig Schloss, 1887; struck in bronze; minted by Jewish numismatist Dr. Eugen Merzbacher; weight: 24.4g; size: 37mm.
Obverse bears 10 line legend "Herrn Ludwig Schloss | Lehrer in Speyer | Zur Erinnerung | an Sein | 50 Jaehriges | Dienst-Jubilaeum | 2 April 1887 | V.S. Neffen | Dr. Eugen Merzbacher".
On reverse image of child with Tablets of the 10 Commandments holding a book (Bible?) and above an abbreviation in Hebrew "B.E.H" - "Be Ezrat HaShem" ("With G-d's Will"). Wreathed edge on obverse, beeded edge on reverse.
Although there is no definitive biography for Schloss, sources show he taught at the Speyer Synagogue's school for 52 years, from 1837, when the city's new Synagogue was consecrated, and was known as the "teacher with a beard and a cane"; he later became chairman of the community and one of its prominent members.
He may also be the same Ludwig Schloss mentioned in a brief newspaper article from April 1925, who attended the centennial anniversary of the Synagogue in the Palatinate town of Sprendlingen (later destroyed in 1938), and thanked, on behalf of the Jewish community, the clergy, Mayor and Councillor for attending.
Eugen Merzbacher (born 1845), the Jewish minter of this piece, may be the son of Abraham Merzbacher (1812-1885) of Munich, a Talmudic student who was a banker and numismatist, and authority on Hebrew scriptures - and became a numismatist in his own right. In AU-UNC.
Great Britain: Daniel Mendoza / Shepherd halfpenny sized condor token, 1790; struck in copper; issued by Thomas Spence (but artist unknown); size: 28.25mm; weight: 10.85g.
Obverse depicts left facing profile of Medoza, with "*D.MENDOZA*" above.
On reverse pastoral scene with hatted shepherd resting, and date "1790" in exergue - appears to be struck on an original flan as some details of the original strike appear below the date and in exergue. Medallic rotation; "SPENCE x DEALER x IN x COINS x LONDON x" is etched on rim; milled edge.
Daniel Medoza (1764-1836) was a Jewish boxer born to Portuguese immigrants, who developed an established method for boxing and subsequently became the boxing champion of England (1792-95) and a popular figure of Jewish self-pride of that era. Spence was a coin dealer, a friend of Thomas Paine, and considered to be the first English Socialist, whose tokens championed figures of revolution and rebellion against icons of the establishment. In VF, with laquered surfaces; JM-59/60/133/134 & GJPM-130.
Great Britain, City of London Lord Mayor David Salomons and Sheriffs presentation medal, 1855; marked: silver 925, City of London, Year 1855, Queen Victoria; weight: 43.05g; size: 62.5mm x 97.5mm.
Ornately designed plate with engraved dedication "Presented by | The Right Honorable | David Salomons | Lord Mayor | R. Hartley Kennedy Esqr. Aldr. | W. Anderson Rose Esqr. Aldr. | Sheriffs 1855-6 | to | Archibald Mc. Dougall Esqr. | Member of the Commitee".
David Salomons (1797-1873) was one of the founders of the London and Westminster Bank (today's "NatWest" Bank), a leading figure in the 19th century struggle for Jewish emancipation in Great Britain, was the first Jewish magistrate in England (1849-50), served as the first Jewish Sheriff of the City of London and Lord Mayor of London (1855), and was one of the first two Jews to serve in the British House of Commons (1857-1873).
The mentioned Sheriffs on the medal are Richard Hartley Kennedy, a Director of the Royal British bank (who was sent to prison when the bank collapsed four years later), and William Anderson Rose, a spectacle-maker who later served as Lord Mayor of London in 1862-3 and a strong advocate of religious freedom. No details are available about the recipient.
Great Britain: British Chief Rabbi Joseph Herman Hertz, 1938; medal by Jewish medalist Benno Elkan; size: 34mm, weight: 18.45g: bears bust of the Rabbi and a menorah, with legends in English and Hebrew; commemorates Hertz on 25 years as Britain and her empire's Chief Rabbi (reference legend in Hebrew).
Hertz (1872-1946) distinguished himself as a strong advocate of Zionism and his opposition to Reform/Liberal Judaism. Born in Hungary, he was one of the first graduates of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York; JMM-73. In AU-UNC though with signs of cleaning in places.
Great Britain: British Jewish Prime Minister Benjamin D'Israeli medal, by Geoffrey Colley (1934- ); silver, size: 40mm, weight: 30.85g: depicts bust of D'Israeli with his dates of birth and death on the obverse, and the reverse depicts a major achievement of his tenure ("Acquired Suez Canal for Nation", 1875).
The medal is undated, but may date to 1975-1981 (to coincide with one of the dates mentioned); rim is numbered "131" (possibly out of a total production of 500); in Proof state (with a few handling marks).
Hungary: Rabbi Dr. Simon Hevesi (Handler), 1925: bronze plaque by Csillag; 61mm x71mm; 217.3g: commemorating 20 years of service as Rabbi of Budapest; with the Hebrew date (5685) and Hevesi's name also written in Hebrew ("Tzadok").
Hevesi (1868-1943) was ordained as a Rabbi in 1894, elected Rabbi of the Pest community in 1905 and became the Chief Rabbi of Hungary in 1927, holding that post until his death in 1943.
Hungarian Jews dominated the medallic art of that country in the 19th and 20th Centuries, and Istvan (Stephan) Csillag is considered to be the most prolific from among them; Daniel Friedenberg singles out this portrait of Hevesi as being among Csillag's key Jewish portrait works (JMM-90 & 92). In AU, with a few traces of holder residue on the surface.
Hungary: Rabbi Doctor Meyer Kayserling medal by Jewish medalist Aladar Gardos, 1929; uniface, struck in bronze, size: 60mm, weight: 72.9g, in VF-EF (with a few specs of light surface residue from plastic holder): centennial medal commemorating the German Rabbi (b: 1829, d: 1905) and publisher of numerous books who became the Rabbi of the Swiss Jews in 1861 and later, in 1870, the Rabbi of the Jewish community in Budapest.
This portrait is considered to be Gardos's most popular one; JMM-90. VF-EF with a few holder residue marks on obv. and rev.; with collection catalogue number pencilled on reverse. Scarce as a struck (not cast) piece.
Israel: David de Sola Pool (1970): 59mm tombac medal with Pool's bust on obverse and emblem of Congregation Shearith Israel on reverse; 648 minted; original strike with Menorah between the names "Israel" in Hebrew and English on edge (as opposed to a dash, on re-strikes); engraved by Karen Worth; CM-42.
Israel/United States: Prisoner of Conscience ("Refusnik") medal commemorating Boris Penson, circa. 1970's; weight - 24.5g.
Obverse depicts Star of David enchained with lock bearing symbol of the Soviet Union and legend in English and Hebrew "Let My People Go"; reverse bears name of Boris Pension on raised "plaque" above legend "USSR Prisoner of Conscience".
The origin of the movement promoted by this medal dervies from the Cold War when in the eastern bloc and particularly in the Soviet Union a combination of Communist/ideological anti-Zionism and ideological anti-religion (manifesting itself frequently as anti-Semitism) led many Jews to request permission to emigrate abroad.
Such requests frequently branded the requesting person as a security liability or traitor, and the person either had to quit his employment in order to request permission to emigrate (or he was subsequently fired after making such a request).
For political and even anti-Semitic reasons many Jewish applicants were refused permission to emigrate and they became known as "refusniks" (or "Prisoners of Conscience").
Protest medals like this were commissioned by the "Union Council for Soviet Jewry" (UCSJ), a coalition of grass-roots action councils supporting freedom for Jews of the Soviet Union, founded in 1970.
The organization exists to this day and may even be associated with the Israeli Government's "Nativ" ("Path") organization, which was founded in 1952 and subordinated to the Prime Minister's Office, to establish contact and attempt covert emigration of Jews in Communist Eastern Europe.
This organizaton began to function in the Soviet Union in 1954 and operated on two tracks: "Nativ", which acted as a liason bureau ("Lishkat HaKesher") with Soviet Jews, and "Bar", which operated in western nations to foster public pressure on the Soviet Union to bring about a change in the USSR's emigration policy. Though a covert organization at that time, "Nativ's" slogan was "Let My People Go" (as it also appears on this medal).
Boris Penson is a painter and artist, and was a "refusnik" from Latvia who in June 1970 participated in an attempted airplane highjacking called "Operation Wedding" (recorded in historiography as the "Dymshits-Kuznetsov hijacking affair"): sixteen "refusniks" positing as wedding guests attempted to highjack a local flight from Leningrad and to fly to Sweden.
The group was arrested upon arrival at the airport and Penson was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in a labor camp. There followed a crackdown on Jewish and other dissident movements throughout the USSR, although international condemnation actually caused the Soviet authorities to significantly increase the emigration quota.
Penson was finally released in 1979 and he emigrated to Israel where he continues to work and teach in the field of art. For a fuller history and interview with Penson, see this Jewish Russian Telegraph article.
Israel: Albert Einstein/Wise Observatory medal (1998), in bronze; 59mm, 96.95g: image of the Wise Observatory in Mizpe Ramon (southern Israel) and the logo of Israel's 50th Anniversary celebration on obverse, and portrait of Einstein on reverse. Issued as part of a series of medals by the Israel Government Coins and Medals Corp. on "Jewish Contributors to World Culture". In UNC.
Luxembourg: Madame J. Bloc, President of Luxembourg Womens Association for the Relief of the Jewish Poor, 1886, by H. [Heinrich] Oppenheim of Frankfurt am Main; bronze, size: 50mm, weight: 49.45g: with image of woman and two children with Hebrew with the dates "1856-1886" and French legends above and below - "The Lord will greatly reward those who do charity" and "Tribute and Recognition"; on the reverse the French legend reads: "The women of the association for the relief of the Jewish ["Israelite"] poor, Luxembourg, April 1886, to their President Madame J. Bloc, born Eugenie Mayer".
Probably issued on the 30th anniversary of the organization; judging by the Hebrew lettering, though a Jewish minter, Heinrich Oppenheim (a nephew of the painter Moritz Oppenheim) may not have been proficient in the engraving of Hebrew letters. Germany did not produce many Jewish medalists of note in the 19th Century, but Oppenheim is probably the best known of those who rose to prominence then. JMM-63. In UNC (with lovely chocolate-brown toning), with light traces of holder residue on surface.
Netherlands: Rabbi Elazar (Eleazar) Ben Shmuel (Samuel) Shmelka, 1735, by "Joel son of Rabbi Lippman Levi"; silver and lead after cast, size: 45mm, weight: 33.35g, in AU: a key Jewish medal whose significance is that this is the first medal definitely known to be struck by a practicing Jew ("the first medal known in all history unequivocally to be done by a Jewish medalist" - JM-64), no less than the son of a Rabbi, and that it depicts a Rabbinic image - an act which contradicts Ashkenazi (European Jewish) tradition (although in the 19th Century the custom of portraying Rabbis became more prevalent).
The medal was struck to commemorate Rabbi Samuel Shmelka's arrival in Amsterdam to take up the position of the community's Rabbi although it is presumed that Shmelka would have opposed his depiction on a medal had he known about it: the piece was attacked by Rabbi Jacob Emden, who wrote a responsum that its depiction of a Rabbi contravened Jewish law.
The Hebrew legend above his portrait reads "Our teacher, the Rabbi Elazar, son of our teacher the Rabbi Shmuel, President of the Rabbinical Seminary of the Holy Congregation in Brod [Brody]". The reverse Hebrew legend reads: "Received here on Wednesday 27 Elul 495 [1735]" and from "Sayings of the Fathers" ("Pirkei Avot" - the 9th tractate of the 4th volume of the 'Mishna', which deals with issues of ethics and behavior) it continues "Pray for the good of the government"; there is a bisecting line and ten more quotations from Psalm 119, and ends with "By the hand of Joel, the son of the honorable Lippman Levy, may he be protected by his Rock and Redeemer".
Joel was an amature medalist whose only known work is this piece. Rabbi Shmuel Shmelka (1665-1742) was born in Cracow and became the Dayan (Talmudic judge) of the Jewish community there upon the completion of his studies. In 1708 he took up the position of Rabbi of Rakow, in Poland, and then later became the Rabbi of Brody in 1714. In 1735 he answered the call of the Amsterdam Ashkenazi community to become their Rabbi and this medal was designed in his honor. Around this period, Rabbi Ben Shmuel was among those who excommunicated the Rabbi Moshe (Moses) Chaim Luzzatto because of his messianic-oriented divinations from the Kabbalah.
In 1740 Rabbi Ben Shmuel moved to Tzfat (Safed) in Palestine but quickly discovered that most of the city's respected citizens were reading the works of the Kabbalistic fraudster Nechemia Hayun and pseudo-Kabbalist Shabtai Tzvi Mordechai. Despite strenuous efforts to eradicate this tendency, Ben Shmuel's efforts were in vain and he passed away before accomplishing his goal of returning to Europe (JM-61-64 & 130, JMM-34/35 and GJPM-12 & 15).
Regarding characteristics, these medals are extremely rare and of the 3 which appear in Friedenburg (JMM-35 and JM-62/63) and one in Rosenblum auction 28C (#1101), only one, in JM-62 (which seems to be also GJPM-12, in copper, and on the cover of Arthur Polak's book but not his own listed piece, ref: Polak-8), depicts a clear - though cast - face; all others, even in uncirculated/un-worn condition depict a flattened/worn face, in the manner of "after cast" pieces. All have a 'device' below Shmelka's arm, which protrudes into the edge, and all have a double-lined edge on obverse and reverse. The clarity of the letters in legend on reverse varies depending on the quality of the strike/cast, and the specimen shown in JMM lacks the extended upper stroke of the letter "Daled" in the word "Brod" on obverse.
Netherlands: Shlomo Ansky ("An-ski") medal of the Dutch Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam, circa. 1979; cast bronze (no discernable maker mark); size: 76mm, weight: 134.8g: features a portrait of An-ski in a tarboosh hat (see photo) adorned by the legend "Joods Historisch Museum" on obverse, and a Yiddish dedication to him in Hebrew letters on the reverse ("Yiddischer Kultur-Verein 'Sh. An-Ski'") and the dates 1921-1979 over an image of a Jewish "Menorah" (candelabra) with a small figure at the top-center of a religious Jew studying.
Sh. An-ski (1863-1920), a highly unusual spelling of "Ansky", was the pen-name of the Russian Jew, Shlomo Zeilenvil (Zangwill) Rapaport (also "Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport"), an author, poet and stagewrite in Yiddish and Russian; composer of the play "The Dybbuk" and of the hymn, "Die Shvue" ("The Oath") for the Jewish-Socialist "Bund" movement.
He was raised Hassidic religious though left the faith and joined the Socialist movement and became active there, only to return to his Jewish roots at the turn of the 20th Century and began writing in Yiddish, collecting Jewish folk tales. He was active in Jewish charity and salvation work during the First World War, fled Russia for Vilna and then Poland, during the Russian Revolution and died in Poland. A search reveals a sole connection to a "Jewish Cultural Society" spelled in Hebraicized Yiddish as on the medal existed in Vienna, at least in 1927, and the dates shown on the medal may be a reference to it. A lovely design, in AU-UNC.
United States: Golda Meir (Meyerson) 80th Birthday medal (1978), in struck bronze; by Jewish medalist Gerta Wiener for the Jewish American Hall of Fame trapezoid medal series; 45mm, 66.3g: portrait and signature of Golda on obverse. Numbered 512. In AU with some light, small surface marks/scuffs. Golda's connection to the States is that her family fled from Ukraine to Milwaukee in 1905-1906.
United States: Morris Bram memorial medal (1987), in copper-burnished bronze; by Jewish artist and sculptor Alexander Shagin; 39mm, 21.8g: with portrait of Morris Bram (1909-1987), founder of the American Israel Numismatic Association (AINA), founded in 1967. In UNC, with a few light handling marks.
United States: Morris Bram memorial medal (1987), in silver; by Jewish artist and sculptor Alexander Shagin; 39mm, 36.75g: with portrait of Morris Bram (1909-1987), founder of the American Israel Numismatic Association (AINA), founded in 1967. In proof state, a few oxidation marks.
