NNP

This richly illustrated exhibition catalog, presented by the Center for Jewish History, explores how Jewish history, identity, and experience have been expressed and preserved through medals, tokens, badges, and related numismatic items. Rezak argues that such items, though often overlooked due to their small scale and mass production, serve as powerful vehicles for textual and visual storytelling. These objects blend utility, artistry, and symbolism to document Jewish life—both sacred and secular—across centuries and continents. The catalog highlights the wide-ranging functions of medals: commemorating events, honoring individuals, marking religious observances, offering protection, and conveying communal identity, particularly in contexts where Jews lacked sovereign coinage.

The catalog is organized thematically, showcasing items related to biblical imagery, religious life cycles, charity, education, antisemitism, Zionism, and the Holocaust. It details how Jewish individuals and communities used these objects for both practical and symbolic purposes. The exhibition also pays close attention to the techniques of medal making—casting, striking, engraving—and features work by noted Jewish artists such as Boris Schatz, Paul Vincze, and Arnold Zadikow. In embracing a broad and inclusive curatorial approach, Rezak emphasizes the power of numismatic objects to reflect the Jewish encounter with history, society, and identity in both hostile and welcoming environments.