Because the Hanukkah miracle happened in Israel. Dreidels everywhere else say Nes Gadol Haya Sham, "A great miracle happened there." In Israel, the Shin (for Sham, "there") is swapped for a Peh (for Po, "here"), so the dreidel reads "A great miracle happened here."
There vs. here
The Hanukkah story is about the Maccabees taking back the Temple in Jerusalem and rededicating it, and the small jar of oil that lasted eight days. All of that happened in the Land of Israel.
So if you're spinning a dreidel in New York or London, the miracle happened there. If you're spinning one in Jerusalem, it happened here. One letter changes:
| Where | Letters | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outside Israel | נ ג ה ש | Nes Gadol Haya Sham | A great miracle happened there |
| In Israel | נ ג ה פ | Nes Gadol Haya Po | A great miracle happened here |
Does it change the game?
No. Peh plays exactly like Shin: put one piece in the pot. You can mix Israeli and non-Israeli dreidels at the same table without changing a single rule.
Should you use an Israeli dreidel outside Israel?
There's no rule against it. Lots of families buy dreidels on trips to Israel or get them as gifts, and they play with them at home. Some people like the reminder of Israel, and some prefer the traditional Shin because "there" is technically accurate for them. Use whichever one you like.
Israel calls it something else, too
In Israel, a dreidel isn't a dreidel. It's a sevivon, from the Hebrew word for "turn." That's on our page about what a dreidel is called in Hebrew.
Fun facts
- Swapping Shin for Peh changes the number value of the four letters from 358 to 138.
- Some novelty dreidels have five sides and carry both Shin and Peh. They make for a confusing game.
- Hanukkah in Israel also means sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts, in every bakery for weeks.
Play with an Israeli dreidel
Our online game includes a Jerusalem dreidel with Peh. Choose it on the start screen.
Updated October 2026