An artist's portrayal of a Jewish leader produced just weeks after the Bondi massacre has claimed a prestigious award. Michael Zavros claimed the Archibald People's Choice Award for his portrait of Alex Ryvchin, who he called an "unmistakably and unashamedly Jewish" leader. After more than 45,000 votes, Mr Zavros was presented with the award and a $5000 cash prize for his hyper-realistic piece depicting the co-head of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. "A few years ago, my mother thought she saw me on TV, but it wasn't, it was Alex," Mr Zavros said. Mr Zavros said the cultural symbols matter as they can express faith, history, and belonging, yet too often are used to divide and to harm.