More than a dozen people gathered around a makeshift casino table in Adam and Shelley Zucker’s living room, examining a long, blue gameboard that had two Stars of David divided into Hebrew-symbolized portions. Each circle was marked by a menorah with eight candles, represented by yellow stones, between the stars.
In order to lock in their wager on a combination of two dreidel spins, players inserted poker chips into each segment of the Star of David.
Super Dreidel is a game that reimagines the traditional Hanukkah pastime. Adam claimed that aside from the spinning top, the game, which is a cross between roulette and craps, little resembles the traditional dreidel.
On December 15, visitors to the Zuckers’ home assemble around the table in the living room for a Super Dreidel competition.Profenna Chiara
He claimed that although Dreidel is a popular Jewish pastime, it isn’t all that thrilling. Simply because it’s a rather easy game, it quickly loses its appeal.
The eight rounds of the Super Dreidel represent each Hanukkah night. Each player receives 25 points and a color, which can be composed of variously sized wooden pieces that are part of the game or, for bigger groups, different colored poker chips. Each player uses their opening hand to place bets at the start of the round. Nun, Gimel, Hey, and Shin are the characters that form a winning combination when two dreidels are spun.
According to Adam, it’s essentially the greatest thing that has happened to Hanukkah since chocolate gelts.
The phrase Nes Gadol Haya Sham, which means a great miracle occurred there, is represented by the Hebrew letters. The phrase refers to the events of the 2nd century BCE when the Jewish people reclaimed their temple in Jerusalem from Greek rule. Under the leadership of the Maccabees, a small band of Jewish rebels defeated the Seleucid army and rededicated the desecrated Second Temple. As part of the rededication, they witnessed the miracle of a small amount of oil lasting eight days, which is why Hanukkah is celebrated for eight nights.
The game was first developed in 2013.
It was over Thanksgiving that year, when Hanukkah and Thanksgiving intersected, Adam said. I just thought, Hey, what if you spun two dreidels? So I started putting together the different combinations and then it turned out there were six unique two letter combinations. And I kind of had chills. I was like, Wait, there s six points on the Star of David.
Shelley and Adam Zucker created Super Dreidel as an alternative to the classic Hanukkah game.Profenna Chiara
Originally sketched on paper and played with colorful M&Ms, the game has evolved significantly over the past decade. Since working with a graphic designer, the Zuckers have created a final rendering of the board full of blues and yellows, intricate patterns and detailed game pieces.
I ve played ever since I was young, said Anya Zucker, Adam and Shelley s 17-year-old daughter. It started off on this piece of paper and then every year, evolved to something a little nicer. It s all polished and finished now.
While the game continues to improve, 2024 is the year that the Zuckers decided to take the game to market. Since October, the couple have been selling copies out of their basement, hoping to get their idea off the ground in time for Hanukkah, which begins Dec. 25 this year.
Two dreidels spin in between stars on a special version of Super Dreidel created for tournaments.Profenna Chiara
The challenge that we have is this game is somewhat focused over the holiday season, Adam said. So it s kind of time sensitive from that standpoint.
Tabling at bazaars and markets, including theEastside Jewish Commons, the Zuckers are hoping to sell 200 copies this season to hit their initial goal and continue production on a larger scale. The game is also sold online atsuperdreidel.com(on sale for $54 before Hanukkah).
We both work full time, said Shelley, who works as areal estate brokerwhile Adam is a water resource engineer. So this is sort of a hobby. Adam s been putting the games together, putting all the pieces into a board and taking them to ship. So if we really were to go larger with the bigger marketing, we would hire people to help with the production.
Another way the Zuckers are marketing their game is through fundraiser tournaments. On Dec. 15, the Zuckers hosted an evening tournament at their home for friends and family with $5, $10 and $20 buy-ins. Half the proceeds went to winners and the other half to charity.
Giving back and having donations at the end of the year is a really strong part of Jewish culture, Shelley said.
The tournament introduced many attendees to the game, including Mieke Emch, a friend of the couple.
This is the first time I ve even met a dreidel, Emch said. It s pretty easy to comprehend. There s only two dreidels, so not too much to track.
As someone who doesn t practice Judaism, she said the game is accessible for anyone to enjoy and learn more about the religion even kids.
I don t think you have to be Jewish, Emch said. I m super interested to learn about the Jewish aspects of it.
As part of the game contents, the Zuckers included a flyer with information about Hanukkah.
Coming from a teaching background, I really wanted to have the words, nun, gimel, hey, shin, as a key on the board, facilitating it as a kind of an educational piece, Shelley said. So creating a standalone version was important.
The Zuckers hope the game can serve as an entryway into Jewish culture.
It s a fun game and I think it s just kind of neat to be part of creating something that might become other people s holiday tradition, Adam said. And for me, I jokingly say it d be great to use this as a way to meet Adam Sandler or Jon Stewart.
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Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327;[email protected]@chiara-profennaon BlueSky.
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