Shalom Street Museum is your address for hands-on fun! Come and explore our exhibit – Across the Board: From Dreidel to Xbox - the toys and games of the Jewish people.
Our exhibit allows visitors to explore the connection between ancient Jewish tradition and practice with modern game and play theory.
“Play is one of the main ways in which human beings learn and transmit everything from survival skills to cultural and religious morals, practices and behavior and have done so since the beginning of recorded history. We Jews are no different. In our modern world, we use all different types of media as platforms for play and can even build careers in studying play and creating toys and games. “
The following is a brief overview of the various sections of the exhibit:
1. Cave of the Maccabees
• Play the worlds earliest game – Knucklebones
• Learn about Judaism’s first game – the fortune telling game of the Urim and Tumim
• Explore why the Dreidel evolved as a Jewish game
2. Jewish Holiday Celebrations
• Tree of Life Shtender – a fantastic wooden art piece showing all the ritual objects needed to celebrate the Jewish holidays
• Explore various Jewish holiday observances through hands on activities and discover that many of them are based in play and game theory. For example – Passover is perhaps, the world’s first role playing game. Sukkot is a wonderful “play house” game
3. Jewish Home: Creative Play
• Explore retro toys and games creatd by members of the Jewish community
• Opportunity for creative play in child sized play house
4. Jewish Game and Toymakers Hall of Fame
• Examples of 19th and 20th centrury toys created by members of the Jewish community.
• Video display of early game and toy TV commercials
• Pictures and information about the Jewish pioneers of the American toy and game industry
5. Games we play
• Larger than life games of Twister and Mr. Potato Head
• Lego race car track
• Comic Book Superhero on-line game and classic comic book display
• Lionel Trains hands on play and information center
6. Electronic Games Arcade
• Retro and cutting edge electronic games
• Games created by the local Detroit Jewish community
• Green Screen activity center – take your picture with a superhero
7. 
Games along the way… Scattered throughout the exhibit are games and activities for slightly older visitors, or for adults to do with their children
• Jewish themed word search
• Jewish Rebus games
• Tzedekah Machine (Gears and cogs that highlight the four primary values explored in our exhibit)
