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. When the Jewish people recaptured their temple in Jerusalem from Greek domination in the second century BCE, the word alludes to those events. A tiny group of Jewish rebels led by the Maccabees overcame the Seleucid army and re-dedicated the Second Temple. They saw the miracle of a small quantity of oil lasting eight days as part of the rededication, which is why Hanukkah is observed for eight nights.
The game was first developed in 2013.
According to Adam, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving came together on Thanksgiving that year. “Hey, what if you spun two dreidels?” was my recent notion. After I began piecing together the various combinations, I discovered that there were six distinct two-letter combinations. And I felt a little cold. I thought, “Wait, the Star of David has six points.”
Super Dreidel was developed by Shelley and Adam Zucker as a substitute for the traditional Hanukkah game.Profenna Chiara
The game, which was first doodled on paper and played with colorful M&Ms, has changed a lot in the last ten years. The Zuckers have produced a final drawing of the board, complete with blues and yellows, elaborate patterns, and intricate game components, after consulting with a graphic designer.
Anya Zucker, the 17-year-old daughter of Adam and Shelley, stated, “I’ve played since I was young.” This sheet of paper was the beginning, and each year it changed to something a little fancier. Everything is now polished and complete.
The Zuckers made the decision to release the game in 2024, despite the fact that it is still becoming better. In an attempt to launch their idea in time for Hanukkah, which starts on December 25 this year, the pair has been selling copies out of their basement since October.
A tournament-specific variant of Super Dreidel features two dreidels spinning in between stars.Profenna Chiara
According to Adam, the difficulty we face is that this game is mostly centered on the holidays. From that perspective, it is quite time-sensitive.
The Zuckers are trying to sell 200 copies this season in order to reach their initial objective and carry on with increased production. They are tabling at bazaars and markets, including the Eastside Jewish Commons. Superdreidel.com also sells the game, which was $54 before Hanukkah.
Shelley, a real estate broker, and Adam, a water resource engineer, both work full-time jobs. In a way, this is a hobby. Adam has been assembling the games, placing each component on a board, and shipping them. Therefore, we would engage individuals to assist with the production if we were to actually go larger with the bigger marketing.
The Zuckers are also using charity competitions to promote their game. The Zuckers held an evening tournament for friends and family on December 15 at their house, with $5, $10, and $20 buy-ins. The victors received half of the revenue, while the other half went to charity.
According to Shelley, Jewish culture places a great emphasis on giving back and collecting money at the end of the year.
Many guests, including the couple’s friend Mieke Emch, were first exposed to the game through the tournament.
“I’ve never even seen a dreidel before,” Emch remarked. It’s quite simple to understand. There aren’t many dreidels to keep track of because there are only two.
Despite not being a follower of Judaism, she claimed that everyone, especially children, might enjoy and learn more about the faith from the game.
Emch stated, “I don’t think you have to be Jewish.” I would really like to know more about the Jewish parts of it.
The Zuckers included a leaflet with Hanukkah information as part of the game’s contents.
With my experience as a teacher, I truly wanted to include the phrases nun, gimel, hey, and shin as a key on the board so that it could be used as a sort of instructional tool, Shelley stated. Therefore, it was crucial to create a standalone version.
The Zuckers’ goal is for the game to be a gateway to Jewish culture.
“I think it’s kind of cool to be part of creating something that might become other people’s holiday tradition,” Adam said, adding that the game is enjoyable. In my opinion, it would be fantastic to use this as a means of meeting Jon Stewart or Adam Sandler.
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Chiara Profenna discusses faith, religion, and cultural ties. You may contact her at [email protected] or @chiara-profenna on BlueSky, or 503-221-4327.
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