Bidspirit auction | Palestine - Official Participant Medal

Palestine - Official Participant Medal of the 1st Maccabiah Games, 1932 - An original medal awarded to the participants of the First Maccabiah Games, held in Tel Aviv in 1932 – the first international Jewish sporting event in the Land of Israel, organized by the Maccabi movement. The medal was presented to all athletes who took part in the Games. Metal: Cupro-nickel Diameter: 23 mm Weight: 10.337 g Obverse: Hebrew legend around the rim reads: ”The First Maccabiah in the Land of Israel, in memory of the Bar-Kochba Revolt, 1800 years later.” At the center appears the Maccabiah emblem – a large Hebrew letter Mem (“M”) integrated into a Star of David. On both sides are the Hebrew letters Gimel and Hey, and below, the Hebrew date. Reverse: Symbolic scene representing the connection between the ancient and the modern Jewish warrior – an athlete stands beside a Maccabean fighter, with a large menorah between them and a Star of David engraved on the altar. Below appears the Hebrew inscription “ג'תתצב – ה'תרצב” (corresponding to the years 1932). The medal was designed in the spirit of the revival of the Jewish nation in its homeland, combining athletic and spiritual motifs that express the vision of the Maccabiah – linking a glorious past with a renewed future. A highly symbolic and rare historical item from the early days of Hebrew sport in the Land of Israel.