Material Culture (Object)

A few days ago, I was down the hall from my dorm-room visiting my friend, Rachel. I noticed on the shelf above her desk a box-like wooden figurine. I asked her what the unfamiliar object was and she called it a dreidel. I had heard that word before and a few things came to mind, first was the Jewish celebration, Hanukah, and second was the song that goes, “Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay”. Rachel and I began to have a great cultural conversation. She continued to explain to me the significance of the Dreidel and why it’s important to Jewish culture. I know that Rachel is a valid source for this information because the dreidel is her artifact, she attended a boarding school, American Hebrew Academy, her major is Jewish Studies, and she’s very disciplined about her spirituality and keeps strict Kosher.

Her perception and use of the Dreidel is as follows:

In December when her family celebrates Hanukah, they light the candles held by their Menorah and afterwards, they play a game using this Dreidel. When you roll the Dreidel, depending on what side it lands on, you either gain or lose one of the fifteen coins you start with. Somewhat like the popular game of Monopoly, the game can keep going for long periods of time because the game does not end until one player wins everything.

This specific Dreidel was hand-made by Rachel’s twelve year old brother, Sam. Sam attends a special school where he receives assistance in his learning. Last December before the Holiday season, his entire class constructed their very own dreidels and painted the symbols on each side themselves. This object is very significant and special to Rachel because it symbolizes her religion and a celebration which she enjoys, but it was also a gift made by her brother and given to her.

This post is in response to Encounter Project #6.