Défense juive contre l'antisémitisme: A Surviving Medallic Expression of Resistance to Nazism

Abstract:The image of a lion crushing a swastika, labeled in French, Hebrew, and Yiddish, on a small and previously unknown bronze medal appears to be a representation of a Jewish defense organization. Although undated, from all indications this surviving artifact was issued in the mid-1930s in Switzerland. The authority under which it was circulated, its targeted recipients, and its zone of distribution are all uncertain. An analysis of various possibilities is offered with the suggestion that the source may have been a militant Jewish defense organization such as Betar. This small medal is evidence that Jewish resistance to anti-Semitism was considered and actively promoted in the prewar period of Nazi hegemony.