Hoofdcommissie tot de zaken der Israeliten, prijspenning ingesteld overeenkomstig Koninklijk Besluit 1836

Johannes Petrus Schouberg created this silver prize medal to be awarded by the ‘Main Committee for the Affairs of Israelites’. The imagery and text on this medal provide an insight into the shifting social and political status of Jewish people in the Netherlands at the time. On one side, we see symbols of Dutch nationhood - the lion and the coat of arms - combined with symbols of Judaism, such as the tablets of the Ten Commandments. The pillar could reference the pillar of cloud and fire, mentioned in the book of Exodus. This combination of cultural references reflects the specific historical context in which it was made. Following the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815, Jews in the Netherlands gained increasing civil rights. This prize medal, commissioned in 1836, therefore suggests a moment of integration and acceptance into Dutch society. Historians use archival records such as government documents and organizational records to uncover how cultural and political change is reflected in images such as this.