CINCINNATI — As Hanukkah comes to a close, one woman is celebrating her faith by bringing out her collection of Dreidels. Dolly Kopin, 90, said collecting the toys brings her joy during this holiday season.
What You Need To Know
- Dolly Kopin has collected Dreidels for 20 years
- She said she has about 400 in her collection
- The idea came when she wanted to collect something related to her Jewish faith, but wanted to collect something small enough to collect many of
- Kopin says she likes finding Dreidels from different artists and made from different materials
Kopin has her Dreidel collection on display, all in all about 400. She turns 91 next week and has been collecting for decades.
Kopin, a resident at The Kenwood by Senior Star, said collecting the toys that have been a tradition in the Jewish heritage for centuries has been a way to connect to her faith
“I wanted to collect something Judaic," Kopin said. "I thought about menorahs, but that took up too much room. Even though they’re very beautiful, I thought Dreidels are kind of fun.”
Her collection is made up of Dreidels of all sorts of materials like Legos, wine corks, crystal and gold. But she said she can't pick a favorite.
The uniqueness of her collection is what makes it so fun for Kopin.
“I liked it as artist pieces," she said. "It was small little things from different artists and a lot of them are really quite clever."
Kopin also enjoys the meaning behind the toy- while each side has its own meaning, all of them together mean more than meets the eye.
“The other three letters make up all of a person's core qualities," she said of the sides and symbols of the Dreidel.
As Kopin prepares for the end of Hanukkah, she’s grateful for a faith that has given her this hobby and allowed her to be herself
“It’s just a comfortable feeling for me," she said of her faith. "I feel like I fit there. It gives me a sense of stable, it keeps me at an even keel.”