30th Anniversary First Immigrant Runners

30th Anniversary First Immigrant Runners
State Medal, 5724-1964

The restrictions on immigration imposed by the Mandatory Government violated the rights of all Jews throughout the world to settle in Palestine. The full impact of the restrictions became most evident during the Second World War when refusing entry to European Jews meant abandoning them to their fate, as well as during the War's aftermath, when the pitiful survivors were languishing in barren camps. At the same time, life for Jews in Arab lands became increasingly unbearable.
The first ship carrying illegal immigrants was the "Velus" which landed in 1934 to be followed by scores of other ships leased in Europe by Israeli agents mostly "Haganah" emissaries. Some of these ran the blockade successfully, others tried and were seized by the British Navy. There were attempts by land as well.

Medal Description

Obverse: The Mediterranean and Black Sea basin are shown in relief upon a schematic drawing, lines followed by the blockade runners all converging on the Israeli shores. Engraved on the surface are the dates "5694-5724, 1934-1964". Around the rim, the inscription in Hebrew and English. "30th Anniversary of First Immigrant Runners".

Reverse: A barbed wire fence seals off the Israeli coast. A blockade running ship breaks through the fence and approaches the beach where it is met by the local people receiving it with raised arms. Beneath, below the line of the River Jordan, a phrase from Deuteronomy (1:41): "Ye dared to go up" in Hebrew and English.

Edge:
The State emblem and the words: "State of Israel" in Hebrew and in English. On some of the 35mm medals the State emblem and the word "Israel" in Hebrew and in English appears. The silver medals bear "Silver 935" in Hebrew and "Sterling" in English, on medals by Kretschmer and silver by Hecht. On the silver 59mm from number 2136 to 2285, the silver content was imposed on the medal after minting and polishing. A few do not have silver content at all.

Serialization:
All the medals have been numbered.
Bronze medals from 101 to 8400. Of these 122 were melted.
Silver 35mm, 5000 have been minted and 351 melted.

Designer:
Obverse - Yitzhak Pugacz
Reverse - Dodo Shenhav
(Both designers came as "illegals")

Engraving: Kretschmer

Mint:
Bronze - Kretschmer.
Tombac - Hecht 7552-7801 (one has not been numbered) - 249. Kretschmer minted the balance.
Silver 59mm - Kretschmer: 0001-2135 - 2135. Hecht: 2136-3000-865.
Silver 35mm - Kretschmer.

The medals minted by Hecht:
Obverse: the arrows are missing in the indicated paths of the blockade runners.
Reverse: the posts of the barbed wire fence are thin and sharp, and the frame on the margin is smaller.