Have you ever heard of Jewish kids playing a gambling game on the Jewish Holiday of Hanukkah? This is called dreidel, and it is considered the most famous custom associated with Hanukkah. A dreidel is a pointed, four-sided top which can be made to spin on its pointed base. Dreidels are most commonly made of plastic or wood, but there are “designer dreidels” that are made of glass or silver.
To play the game of dreidel, each player takes turns spinning the dreidel. Each kingdom is depicted on a different side of the dreidel, representing the enemies of Jews surrounding them from all sides, according to a website about Jewish history. The four letters displayed on the dreidel in Hebrew translate to “a great miracle happened here” which refers to the miracle which Hanukkah is centered around (myjewishlearning.com).
To play, each person puts a predetermined amount of chocolate covered coins in the pot (which is what is to be gambled). If you spin the dreidel and land on “nun” nothing happens, if you land on “gimmel” you get to take the whole pot, if you land on “hay” you get to take half of the pot, and if you land on “shin” you must give a predetermined amount back into the kitty. Whenever the kitty is emptied, each player must contribute a set amount. If you can’t contribute that amount after landing on “shin” or after your teammate lands on a “gimmel” then you automatically lose (myjewishlearning.com).
According to a website about Israel and Jewish History, “The dreidel (known in Hebrew as sevivon), dates back to the time of the Greek-Syrian rule over the Holy Land, which set off the Maccabean revolt that culminated in the Hanukkah miracle. Learning the Torah was outlawed by the enemy and considered a ‘crime’ punishable by death. The Jewish children resorted to hiding in caves in order to study. If a Greek patrol approached them, the children would immediately pull out their tops and pretend they were playing a game. By playing dreidel on Hanukkah, Jewish people all over the world are reminded of the brave children in the caves and their pure courage” (chabad.org).
Sophomore Maya Vienbergs formed her own Jewish Club at UC High with her fellow friends to represent the Jewish Community at the school. The main upcoming event they are focusing on is hosting a dreidel tournament. “We thought it would be a fun way to get people involved in Jewish traditions while bringing on some friendly competition and having people win prizes as well,” said Vienbergs. She added , “I grew up playing dreidel with my friends and family. It’s a good way to bring people together. My favorite part of it is winning all the chocolate covered coins.” She hopes that by hosting a dreidel tournament, more people can understand the crucial history behind the game and become more involved with Jewish culture.
To conclude, playing the dreidel is the most popular tradition tied to Hanukkah, as it’s a game played by thousands of Jewish families all over the world. While playing the dreidel, Jews remember the brave children who secretly read the Torah, as it was forbidden, and had to pretend like they were playing dreidel instead so they wouldn’t be caught.