All Year Round: Aryeh Margalit Collects 600 Dreidels in 19 Years

Aryeh Margalit has managed to amass 600 dreidels in the 19 years he has been nurturing his unique hobby. Margalit, considered one of the veteran dreidel collectors in the country, tries to explain the 'bug' of collecting: "It's a whole world. The more you delve into it, the more you fall in love. Collecting is a matter of personality, and once someone starts collecting, they will probably keep doing it for life."

Margalit (54), from Haifa, is an expert consultant in analytical measurements in the field of chemistry. Since his youth, he began collecting: "It started in my youth when I collected lanterns, hats, and even chickens. But dreidels are a completely different matter. Besides loving colorful and spinning things, I'm a person of measurements. So the science behind the world of dreidels, like mass, workspace, and center of gravity, fascinates me just as much."

Margalit's diverse and interesting collection includes 600 dreidels, among them wooden, metal, lead, crystal, and glass dreidels, along with others. The collection also includes unique dreidels: one that spins while suspended in the air, another that counts the number of spins, one that spins for eight minutes, and a rare dreidel from Japan that, when a string is pulled, releases five dreidels from within. However, his favorite dreidel is a small one, made of cast lead, engraved with the Star of David and the letters: N.G.H.S, Poland, 1930.

So where do you store so many dreidels?

"My first dreidel collection mainly consisted of small dreidels, so there wasn't a storage issue. Over the years, dreidels of various sizes were added, so I prepared accordingly. Today, the collection is stored in organized and sorted boxes."

Where did you get the rare dreidels?

"The supply of 'sophisticated' dreidels in the country is sparse, which left me with few options. As part of business trips for work, I started trading in dreidels from abroad and even reached European businesses specializing in the production of dreidels."

What are the costs of the 'sophisticated' dreidels you mentioned?

"Needless to say, collecting is not a cheap hobby. Naturally, you're never satisfied with what you have and always aspire to acquire the newest and most sophisticated dreidels—so there are certainly expenses. Since it's easy to get carried away with your hobby and 'lose your head and money,' I make sure not to exceed a budget of 300-400 shekels per dreidel. To illustrate, serious Judaica collectors can certainly invest even 3000 dollars or more on a single dreidel."

Certainly not a cheap hobby, but it can be said that the joy of it overshadows the cost. In recent years, Margalit has been traveling around the country with his collection, conducting intriguing activities for ages 4 through 90. "As I discovered that people are as interested in the history of dreidels as they are in spinning them, I developed a unique and fascinating workshop intertwining interesting stories about dreidels from all over the world. This way, I travel to museums, kindergartens, schools, and other venues that invite me, often volunteering."

Do you think there is a difference between types of collectors, in character traits, for example?

"Certainly. Unfortunately, being a collector in our generation is a hobby that is shrinking a thousandfold compared to previous generations. Once, children would talk about collecting stamps, erasers, and stationery. Today, even if children collect something, it often ends with trading cards. It's not only saddening but also reflects some kind of value difference. A child who collects stamps will be interested in what year they were printed, who is pictured, and more, so besides the collection itself, there's undoubtedly added value."