The Qatamon Medal

The medal shown here was awarded to the soldiers who participated in the hard battle of the Monastery of Saint Simon. The battle was part of the first phase of the War of Independence on the eve of the establishment of the State, and took place on the night of April 30, 1948.

The Battle of Saint-Simon was a decisive battle in the first part of the War of Independence and in which the fate of West Jerusalem was determined. It was a battle in which two Palmach companies from the Harel Brigade fought.

The medal is round, made of bronze, and has a diameter of 27 mm. The front of the medal shows a relief of the Jewish Agency building in Jerusalem and the Tower of David, surrounded by the inscription "If I forget you, Jerusalem, forget my right hand." On the back of the medal is written "For the conquest of Katamon Jerusalem 22 Nissan 5758 1.5.1948." Apparently, the medal was hung on a blue and white cloth ribbon. According to the records in the "Iron Heritage" museum, the medal was commissioned after the battle by the Jewish Agency. The stencil with which the relief is stamped was created at record speed, and the first attempt at stamping was made on May 7, 1948. The ability to produce medals so quickly is probably related to the fact that Shmuel Kretschmer already had a drawing of the Tower of David from previous work. According to one of the combatants, the medals were distributed two weeks after the battle, at Ma'ale Ha-Hamisha. At that event, between 60 and 70 combatants from the 4th Battalion of the Palmach received the badge. As far as we know, this was the only time in the entire war that a medal was awarded for participation in a battle.

Interestingly, when Shmuel Kretschmer designed the medal, he chose the Tower of David and the House of National Institutions as the symbols that adorned it. The House of National Institutions in Rehavia was the symbol of the Jewish state on the way: the place was damaged in a terrorist attack in March 1948, and from its balcony, the members of the People's Council who were in Jerusalem announced the declaration of the state, and the first Knesset meetings were held there. The Tower of David, on the other hand, was at the time under the control of the Kingdom of Jordan but continued to serve as a Zionist symbol and, above all, a prominent symbol of Jerusalem. That is, for the battle that decided the fate of Jerusalem, the two most important symbols of Jerusalem were chosen.  Source:https://www.facebook.com

 

Version with text on back of medal placed lower

There was also a badge issued that was made by adding a pin to the back of the medal.

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Palmach soldiers during the battle in Qatamon suburb, 1948