Israeli Innovation: Rummikub (Rummy Tiles)
- Mar 18
- 1 min read
Rummikub was invented in the 1940s by Ephraim Hertzano, a Romanian Jew who emigrated to Israel after the war. Banned from playing card games under the Communist regime, he created his own version using small tiles instead.
From his kitchen table in Tel Aviv, Hertzano began selling sets door to door. What started as a family pastime soon spread across Israel, and later the world. By the 1970s, Rummikub had become one of the best selling games in America, winning Game of the Year in more than twenty countries.
Blending skill and luck, it is a game that brings people together across generations and cultures. Still made in Israel today, Rummikub is proof that even simple ideas can travel far when they bring people joy.