A medal minted to mark the convening of the Sanremo Conference. [The Netherlands, 1920]. Design: Christiaan (Chris) Johannes van der Hoef.
Obverse: A relief depicting an encounter between two figures, representing different generations of the Jewish people - a Jewish figure from the Second Temple period, and a figure of a worker holding a hammer. In the background a field of crops. At the bottom are the Hebrew years 3830-5680 [the year of the destruction of the Second Temple and 1920, when the Sanremo Conference was held].
Reverse: Star of David with the word "Zion" in the center. Around it are the symbols of the twelve tribes and the inscriptions "אם אשכחך ירושלים" and-"י' אייר ה'פרת" [תר"פ 1920]".
The special medal was minted in honor of the Sanremo Conference held in Italy in 1920. This conference, attended by representatives of the victorious powers in the First World War, discussed the division of the territories of the Ottoman Empire. As part of the conference, Britain received a mandate for the Land of Israel, with a commitment to implement the Balfour Declaration - the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The medal before us was commissioned by the Zionist movement in the Netherlands, to mark this decision of the Sanremo Conference. The one chosen for the design was the Dutch sculptor Christiaan Johannes van der Hoef (1875-1933). The medal came in two versions - silver and bronze. The silver medals were awarded to eminent personalities in the Zionist movement.
Diameter 29 mm. Weight: 11 grams. Very good condition.
