Eons ago, when I was in Sunday school, each student received a little wooden dreidel for Hanukkah. We’d spin it a bit, play a few rounds of the dreidel game and then take it home, presumably to provide entertainment during our Hanukkah celebration. But honestly folks, the dreidel game wasn’t nearly as exciting as Monopoly, Parcheesi, Chinese Checkers, or even jacks – games of choice in those dark ages before “Angry Birds.” Also, that little wooden dreidel was rather drab compared to my best friend’s 6’ tall, genuine pine tree decorated with real candy canes, blinking lights, and tinsel meticulously hung strand by strand to resemble icicles!
It wasn’t until years later when I made aliyah, that I re-discovered the dreidel (“savivon” in Hebrew). Hanukkah in Israel is a grand national festival with candle lighting in the malls, hours of Hanukkah shows on TV, platters full of sofganiyot (jelly donuts), and savivonim (dreidels) everywhere from upscale boutiques to corner makolets (neighborhood mini-markets). In addition to traditional dreidels like those that I remembered from Sunday school, there were spinning toys of every description, all referred to as “savivonim.” In short, dreidel Heaven! Silvery spinning “laser” discs, rounded tops that flipped in mid-spin, scribbling tops with marker tips, musical tops that lit up, sparkler wheels, gyroscope tops – all were sold as savivonim for Hanukkah. Museum shops and fancy stores had copies of antique silver European dreidels and modern art dreidels in porcelain, metal, and painted wood – definitely more for show than for spinning. I promptly began a dreidel collection, which has grown over the years.
Now, it’s a joy to share my still growing dreidel collection with my Kitah Gimel Hebrew students as part of our class Hanukkah celebration. They have a great time playing with dreidels of all shapes and sizes. In fact, students of all ages are bound to have fun with a lively collection of dreidels. Consider starting a dreidel collection of your own. Synagogue gift shops, museum shops, party stores are all sources of dreidels and other spinning toys. I even discovered dreidel-like tops shaped like bumblebees, ladybugs, and clowns in the dollar gift section of Target!
If you or someone you know is travelling to Israel, that’s a terrific opportunity to add some Israeli savivonim to your collection. Begin gathering dreidels now for next Hanukkah. There’s probably even a dreidel app!
While a single simple dreidel might elicit mild interest as part of a Hanukkah lesson, a basket piled high with different styles of savivonim is a memorable sensory experience! Chag Sameach!
Happy Third Night Of Hanukkah!
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