Gelt is Yiddish for money. Giving coins at Hanukkah goes back centuries in Eastern Europe. In the 1920s an American candy company, Loft's, started selling chocolate coins wrapped in gold and silver foil, and chocolate gelt has been the classic thing to play dreidel with ever since.
Gelt means money
The word comes from Yiddish, and before that from the German Geld, money. In Hebrew, Hanukkah money is dmei Hanukkah.
Real money first
Long before chocolate, Hanukkah gelt was actual money.
- 17th-century Poland: Jewish parents gave their kids money at Hanukkah to bring to their teachers. Over time, the kids started keeping some of it for themselves. As you'd expect.
- 18th-century Eastern Europe: giving money at Hanukkah became a way to thank religious teachers, a bit like a holiday tip.
- Hasidic communities: rebbes have long handed out coins to visitors during Hanukkah. People keep them as a blessing and a token of good luck.
There's also a nice story linking gelt to the Maccabees, who minted their own coins after their victory. It connects the custom to the holiday, though the actual custom grew up much later.
Then came chocolate
In the 1920s, Loft's, an American candy company, made chocolate coins wrapped in gold or silver foil and sold them in little mesh bags that looked like money pouches. Other candy makers followed.
It was a perfect fit. Kids got their Hanukkah gelt, it was cheap enough for everyone, and it doubled as the playing pieces for dreidel. Today most chocolate gelt sold in the US is imported, much of it from the Netherlands and Israel.
Gelt in Israel
In 1958 the Bank of Israel issued special Hanukkah coins meant to be given as gelt. They featured a menorah taken from coins minted about 2,000 years earlier. Gelt-giving is still common there. A 2006 survey found that about three out of four Israeli parents give their kids Hanukkah money.
Why play dreidel with chocolate?
Because it's the best of both worlds. Playing with real money turns dreidel into gambling, even for pennies. Playing with chocolate turns it into a snack. Nobody really loses, and whoever "wins" usually ends up sharing.
That's why our online dreidel game uses chocolate gelt, not points or coins.
Tips for playing with chocolate gelt
Practical stuff, like how much to buy and how to keep it from melting, is on our page about how much gelt you need.
Updated October 2026