Obj. ID: 37607  Dreydl, Ukraine, circa 1920

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

While the spinning dreidle is an integral part of Chanukah celebrations, such objects from periods earlier than the Holocaust are difficult to find. Recently, through the use of metal detectors, many items of Judaica have been found buried in the earth in the Ukraine. These dreidles were found that way. Because they were so inexpensive, being made from lead cast into a simple wooden mold, they were simply discarded after their use on the Holiday of Chanukah. The variety of styles is large, as seen from this small sampling of the genre.