Antisemitic medal. Germany, on the eve of World War II

Obverse: A stereotypical Jewish figure with exaggerated facial features, wearing a shirt marked with a Star of David, depicted alongside artillery shells and a money bag. The inscription reads: “WOFÜR KÄMPFEN UNSERE FEINDE” (“What are our enemies fighting for?”), attributing the question to the Jew and implying that Jews are the instigators and beneficiaries of global wars.

Reverse: A proud German Wehrmacht soldier set against the backdrop of the Nazi eagle, alongside German workers. The year 1939 appears with the inscription: “DEUTSCHLAND KÄMPFT FÜR DEN FRIEDEN GEGEN DEN SCHANDVERTRAG VERSAILLES” – “Germany fights for peace, against the shameful Treaty of Versailles” – presenting Germany as fighting for noble values, in contrast to the Jew, portrayed as causing wars for personal gain, control, and profit.

During the summer of 1939, as part of the ideological and public preparation for the invasion of Poland, the Nazi regime circulated propaganda medals of a distinctly antisemitic nature. These medals were not intended as military commendations but served as tools for disseminating political and hateful messages, organized under the propaganda apparatus led by Joseph Goebbels. The visual rhetoric was designed to reinforce the perception among the German public that the approaching war was morally justified—presented as self-defense against “dangerous Jewish influence.” As such, these medals functioned as psychological instruments of incitement, aimed at unifying public opinion around the goals of the Nazi war machine.

Grey metal (likely compressed lead). Diameter: 37 mm. Minor cracks. Good condition.