Dreidels

"A Great Miracle Happened There!"

A favorite Hanukkah pastime enjoyed by families for many years, a dreidel is a spinning top adorned with four Hebrew letters that celebrate the miraculous victory of the Maccabees over the ancient Greek army and the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In the Land of Israel, the four letters are nun, gimel, hey and peh as symbols for the phrase "Nes Gadol Haya Po" (A Great Miracle Happened Here) while dreidels in the Diaspora feature the letters nun, gimel, hey and shin for "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" (A Great Miracle Happened There). One of the most popular uses of the dreidel is to play a game where the spinner wins or loses depending on which letter the dreidel lands on.

At Judaica Webstore, we carry a wide variety of dreidels, including traditional wooden dreidels, ornamental dreidels decorated with beautiful designs by world-renowned Israeli artist Yair Emanuel, sterling silver dreidels that are masterfully handcrafted in the very hills that were once inhabited by the Maccabees, chic dreidels with stylish modern designs and much, much more.

Cast Metal

The metal designs include a replica of an early 20th century piece first designed and cast at Bezazel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem. This particular design was meant to welcome Diasporic Jews back to the Holy Land, so its acrostic is slightly different: nun, gimmel, heh, shin. A Great Miracle Happened Here. This dreidel comes with a certificate from the Israel Museum, guaranteeing its authenticity, as well as a short description of its significance in Jewish design history.

Our next dreidel's fantastic design is also sure to go down in Jewish design history. Six Stars of David, each set with a different color crystal are gathered around a central flower shape that bears the four traditional dreidel letters nun, gimmel, heh , and peh. It is a sizeable piece, about five centimeters each way.

Yair Emanuel's Hand-Painted Dreidels

Yair Emanuel was trained at Jerusalem's Bezazel School of Arts and Crafts and currently resides in Jerusalem. He boasts a complete line of artistic Judaica, from tallitot to Kiddush cups to Seder plates to Shabbat candleholders. Now he offers you his hand-painted wooden dreidels. Each of Emanuel's dreidels comes with a matching stand. Designs include traditional motifs like Old Jerusalem scenes and the seven species of Israel.

Yair Emanuel's Chagall Tribute Dreidels

There are also several dreidels that pay homage to painter Marc Chagall, the 20th century master who is claimed by Russian, French and Jewish culture. Emanuel's Chagall dreidels employ Chagall-esque figures and compositions without expressly copying any particular work. Like his other dreidels they are sizeable pieces, about four centimeters wide and ten centimeters tall. They are beautiful both as toys and as display objects.

You can read more about our Dreidels here.