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In honor of Chanukah, the Safrans opened their home to Mishpacha, allowing readers a peek at their unique collection.
The house, on a quiet Boro Park street, does not particularly arrest one’s view: it is not especially large, and it has a discreet facade of gray stucco. Only the stylish railings of curled forged iron and the delicately painted ceramic name plaque hint that the occupants might possibly possess an artistic eye.
Yet once the front door is opened, the accidental tourist finds himself entering a jewel box of a dwelling, one whose compartments, in walls and shelves and mounted cases, contain baubles of a very unusual kind: dreidels and more dreidels, dreidels of every conceivable size and shape and material, dreidels
from all over the world! These stunning displays, meticulously and artfully arranged, render the house a veritable mini-museum of dreidels.
The “curators” of this charming collection of over a thousand dreidels are Rabbi Eliyahu and Clary Safran, the home’s enthusiastic occupants. On the surface, these two do not look terribly similar: he appears scholarly and distinguished, with a white beard and astute blue eyes; she is brunette and vivacious, a bren with Eastern European features and the Hungarian accent to match. They complement each other beautifully, however, and in addition to sharing their lives, they now share a passion and project together: growing their large and varied collection of dreidels.
The collection is set up in the two front rooms comprising Rabbi Safran’s study and library. One passes through a lavendercolored entry, with shelf-lined arches on either side, to rooms furnished with European elegance. The cream-and-beigestriped walls, powder-blue rugs, and antiqued blue finish of the bookcases even suggest a Chanukah color scheme. In addition to the dreidels, there are numerous menorahs on display, as well as framed lithographs of dreidels; and even a collage, assembled by Rabbi Safran himself, of envelopes and stamps bearing first-dayof- issue American stamps with images of dreidels and menorahs.
Even the night light in the hallway is in the shape of a dreidel!
My inner psychologist compels me to ask: what leads an otherwise “ordinary” Jewish couple (although the longer I work for Mishpacha, the more I am convinced that no Jew is merely “ordinary”) to develop a consuming obsession with a child’s holiday plaything? The answer, they tell me, is a combination of the spiritual and the sentimental.
Read the full story by Barbara Bensoussan at Mishpacha Magazine PDF here
All photos credit to Mishpacha
Glad to see the story of Rabbi Safren. Remember him of the old days in Camp Deal of Yeshiva RJJ from the lower East side. Rabbi Safren & his parents davened in Forest Hills at the Queens Jewish Center, Rabbi Max & later Rabbi Grunblatt.
H May we hear many more beautiful stories about Rabbi Safren.
what a great couple…they are each best at what they do. Many more good years and dreidels!
The letters on the first dreidel was to symbolize Yaakov Oveinu’s wisdom in keeping Bnei Yisroel by setting up in Goshen. The letters were Gimel, Shin, Nun, Hei =GOSHNAH
Remember Rabbi Safran fondly from Pittsburgh. He was principal at Hillel Academy and pulpit Rabbi at Poale Zedek in Squirrel Hill. All the best. Chag Sameyach to all.
The letters on the first dreidel was to symbolize Yaakov Oveinu’s wisdom in keeping Bnei Yisroel by setting up in Goshen. The letters were Gimel, Shin, Nun, Hei =GOSHNAH
Remember Rabbi Safran fondly from Pittsburgh. He was principal at Hillel Academy and pulpit Rabbi at Poale Zedek in Squirrel Hill. All the best. Chag Sameyach to all.
rabbi safran is yiddishkeit at its best!
While some of you are waxing nostalgic about Rabbi Safran fin de alta heim, some of us only know Rabbi Safran from the OU where he remains a friend of all.
Rabbi Safran is the editor of “Behind the OU symbol”
Nu, so Rabbis can also have their toys.
It is a stunning first class collection that is mind and eye boggling.