Contemporary Silver Dreidls
One of the traditions of the festival of Channukah is playing with dreidls. A dreidl is a four-sided spinning top used in a gambling game. The Yiddish word dreydl comes from the word dreyen, meaning “to spin.” Each side features a letter of the Hebrew alphabet (Nun, Gimel, Hei, and Shin) which together form an acronym for the Hebrew phrase Nes Gadol Hayah Sham – “A great miracle happened there.” The letters also stand for the Yiddish words associated with the game: Nun for nite (“nothing”), Gimel for gants (“all”), Hei for halb (“half”), and Shin for shteln (“put”).
Sydney Jewish Museum collection
M2006/029:003, M2006/029:004, M2006/029:005
Calendar of Events
Program and festival dates - everything you need to know to make your visit to the Sydney Jewish Museum a success. Find out more
Gift Shop
We now have all your special gifts for barmitzvah, batmitzvah, weddings, engagements, birthdays and other simchas. Call (02)9360 7999 or email shop@sjm.com.au