Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 November 1999 — Page 17

November 17. 1999 NAT 9

is a clay dreidel with the name of each family member on the four sides. She has a Mickey Mouse dreidel, a Noah's Ark dreidel, and a dreidel painted with a copy of Chagall's wedding scene. One of her newest and most intriguing items is 5 inches tall and opens up into a menorah. Lewis isn't the only collector in her family. Her sister, Sandy Epstein, who also lives in Omaha, has more than 200 dreidels. Says Lewis: "We're not competitive. We each enjoy the other's collection." Ann Rosen, of Chadds Ford, PA, has over 300 dreidels in her "eclectic" collection. She began collecting about 10 years ago, when a dreidel craftsperson connected her to the Adath Israel Gift Shop in Cincinnati, which carries dreidels designed by more than 30 artisans. Adath Israel started sending her dreidels, which she could return if she didn't like. Then she developed relationships with Galerie Robin and a Judaic store in Chicago. "Our house was in a non-Jewish neighborhood," Rosen says. "I started to buy dreidels because they are small and fit into a cabinet. It gave us a feeling of Hanukkah. I could express my Jewish feelings that way. Even though I know dreidels aren't a significant Jewish symbol, it was fun for me." One of her favorite dreidels is a silver ballerina by Annette Hirsh of Milwaukee, with the four He- • brew letters (Nun, Gimel, Hay, and Shin) adorning the skirt. "I just got a dreidel made by Gideon Hay, which is a replica of the dreidel Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman took into space. I have some very creative, beautiful dreidels. Most don't spin. It's an art form. Every time I think there's nothing else different, I find a different medium." Rosen has found dreidels made out of chocolate, titanium, wood, glass, and papier-mache. "Every fine-glass maker is making a dreidel," she says. "You'll find dreidels in Waterford Crystal, Baccarat, and Lenox. Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon: I even have one made out of Legos!" Rosen has traveled throughout the United States and all over the world. She searches for dreidels everywhere and has dreidels from as far away as Thailand, Greece, India, and Brazil. It would be a mistake to think of dreidel collectors as a rare breed. In face, the Adath Israel Gift Shop has an informal club of 30 collectors. Betty Levine, who works in the shop, coordinates the

club, which includes people who also collect spice boxes, kiddush cups, menorahs, and Jewish dolls. Levine has her own dreidel collection, which now numbers 350. As an increasingly sophisticated collector, she insists that her new dreidels have to be signed by the artist. Her current project is to find a dreidel from every state in the United States. Levine advises beginners to start small. "Either concentrate on dreidels made out of one medium, or collect one from each medium. You won't be so discriminating when you start, but you'll gradually refine your collection. Shari E. Boraz, the owner of Galerie Robin, LTD_ a Judaic mail-order house in Hanover, NH, believes that people begin collecting dreidels because they are small and easy to display in the home. Also, they are generally priced in a comfortable range. Typical collectors come in all ages, and many collections begin as gifts for graduation or bar or bat mitzvah. Parents often start collections for their children, especially when their kids are too old to receive toys as Hanukkah presents. While most of Galerie Robin's customers are casual about collecting, a handful are serious, buying every new dreidel that comes out each season. "That's increased threefold in the past few years!" she says. • Of course, dreidels aren't the only Jewish "collectibles." In fact, some people simply collect Judaica. Posy McMillen, of Fort Worth, has a small Judaica collection that includes about 40 silver dreidels, five Hanukkiot, a silver etrog box with lovebirds on top, a silver grogger (Purim noisemaker), a silver community wedding ring, a couple of Seder plates, and a silver spice box for havdalah. What's particularly interesting about this collection is its owner. McMillen is not Jewish, but is the cochair of the New Jewish Studies program at Texas Christian University and teaches classes locally on various Jewish topics. McMillen started collecting about 10 years ago in preparation for her classes. She wanted to have beautiful visual aids, since most of her students are Christian. "I love Jewish history, so I share what I love," she says. Collectors are always discovering new kinds of Judaica. According to Levine, Jewish dolls and stuffed animals are growing in popularity. She reContinued on page 14