Kvitlech

Kvitlech (Yiddish: קוויטלך‎, lit. 'notes', 'slips')[note 1] is a card game similar to Twenty-One played in some Ashkenazi Jewish homes during the Hanukkah season.

This article refers to the card game; for the prayer note see Kvitel.
Kvitlech
OriginGalician Jews
Release dateLate 18th or 19th century
Players5+[1]
Cards24
Related games
Twenty-One, Pontoon, Dreidel

The game and deck were created by Hassidic Jews living in Galicia during the late 18th or 19th century.[2] 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.[3] 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').[4] The cards were decorated with Hebrew numerals and common objects such as teapots, feathers, and sometimes portraits of biblical heroes.[5] 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.

Most European players were killed during the Holocaust and the number of North American players has dwindled.

Notes
  1. Also spelled Kvitlekh, Kvitlach, Quitli or Quitlok.

References
  1. McLeod, John. "Quitlok". Pagat. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  2. Steinmetz, Sol (2005). Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 66. ISBN 0-7425-4387-0.
  3. Kissel, Robert (1990). "Kwitlech: The 'Kosher' Cards of Galician Jews". The Playing-Card. XVIII (3): 86–100.
  4. Lehman-Wilzig, Tami (7 November 2010). "On Hanukkah, Galician Jews Knew How to Play Their Cards". Jewish Holiday Customs. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  5. Roskies, Diane K.; Roskies, David G. (1979). The Shtetl Book. Ktav Publishing House. ISBN 978-0-87068-456-2.
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