Kvitlech (Yiddish: קוויטלעך, lit. 'notes', 'slips')[note 1] is a card game similar to Twenty-One played in some Ashkenazi Jewish homes during the Hanukkah season.
 Kvitlech cards | |
| Origin | Galician Jews |
|---|---|
| Release date | Late 18th or 19th century |
| Players | 5+[1] |
| Cards | 24 or 31[1][2] |
| Related games | |
| Twenty-One, Pontoon, Dreidel | |
The game and deck were likely created by Hassidic Jews living in Galicia during the late 18th or 19th century.[3] Most packs used to play the game consist of 24 cards with identical pairs numbered from 1 to 12. The pack may have originated from Hexenspiel decks by stripping them of picture cards so as to avoid idolatry.[4][5] Jews did not use popular playing cards because of the crosses and other Christian symbols found on them, using instead an (often handmade) deck of cards called kvitlekh, lamed-alefniks (lit. 'thirty-oners'), klein Shas (lit. 'small Talmud'), or tilliml (lit. 'small Book of Psalms').[6] The cards were decorated with Hebrew numerals and common objects such as teapots, feathers, and sometimes portraits of biblical heroes.[7][2] Piatnik & Söhne of Vienna was the largest producer of these cards during the 19th and 20th centuries which helped spread the game among Jews living in Austria-Hungary and their North American diaspora.
Notes
edit- ^ Also spelled Kwitlech, Kvitlekh, Kvitlakh, Kvitlach, Quitli and Quitlok.
References
edit- ^ a b McLeod, John. "Quitlok". Pagat. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ a b Goodman, Philip, ed. (2018). The Hanukkah Anthology. Jewish Publication Society. ISBN 978-0-8276-1392-8.
- ^ Steinmetz, Sol (2005). Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 66. ISBN 0-7425-4387-0.
- ^ Kissel, Robert S. (1990). "Kwitlech: The 'Kosher' Cards of Galician Jews (Part I)". The Playing-Card. XVIII (3): 86–100.
- ^ Kissel, Robert S. (1990). "Kwitlech: The 'Kosher' Cards of Galician Jews (Part II)". The Playing-Card. XVIII (4): 101–116.
- ^ Lehman-Wilzig, Tami (7 November 2010). "On Hanukkah, Galician Jews Knew How to Play Their Cards". Jewish Holiday Customs. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ Roskies, Diane K.; Roskies, David G. (1979). The Shtetl Book. Ktav Publishing House. ISBN 978-0-87068-456-2.
Bibliography
edit- Smith, Anthony G. (February 1991). "The 'Cambio' Packs and the Games Played with Them. I. Hexenspiel and Quittli". The Playing-Card. XIX (3): 93–102.
External links
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