Judaica / Zionism - Netherlands, Medal Commemorating the Appointment of Elser ben Shmuel Shmelke as Rabbi, 1735

Judaica / Zionism - Netherlands, Medal Commemorating the Appointment of Elser ben Shmuel Shmelke as Rabbi, 1735 A rare 18th-century medal issued in Amsterdam to commemorate the rabbinical appointment of Rabbi Elser ben Shmuel Shmelke (also known as Elazar van Brody), one of the prominent Ashkenazi rabbis of the 17th and 18th centuries. Born in Kraków in 1665, he served in several important rabbinical positions before relocating to Safed in 1741. One side features a portrait of Rabbi Shmelke, wearing a traditional fur hat and holding an open book. Around the figure appears a Hebrew inscription in Ashkenazi script typical of the period. The design emphasizes his scholarly stature and rabbinic authority. The reverse contains a long Hebrew text arranged in two vertical columns, forming a ceremonial dedication marking his appointment to the rabbinate in Amsterdam. The inscription is engraved in dense Ashkenazi lettering, reflecting the stylistic traditions of the Jewish community of Amsterdam in the 18th century. The medal represents an important chapter in the history of Dutch Jewry, combining themes of rabbinic leadership, communal status and classical Ashkenazi tradition. Weight: 24.534 g Diameter: 42 mm