דאס שפיעלן איסט וויעדער אסור כמקדם

In Eisenstadt, the home of our Stroh ancestors, there was a strict חרם against playing cards all year round. חנוכה was an exception, card playing was allowed for that entire week  and a bit longer. 

The חרם was instituted in Eisenstadt by the פנים מאירות in 1730. For over two hundred years, up until the destruction of the קהלה in 1938, the איסור was  taken as seriously as the הלכות of Kashrus.

תקנות מאת רבינו מאיר בן ר' יצחק בעל הפנים מאירות משנת ת"ץ

A copy of the Takanos instituted in Eisenstadt

referring to card playing on חנוכה

The נוסח of the original תקנה is:

גם עלה במוסכם בחרם או חתיכא דאיסורא איזט, אין קארטין שפילין. חוץ נשים אצל יולדות מאגין שפילין. וחוץ חנוכה אפילו אנשים איז התיר להם. אבל אנשים עם נשים, או נערים ובתולות, אפי' בקרובים איזט בחרם הנ"ל ניט צו שפילין בייא אזאם (= צוזאמען). ואיסור זה איזט חל הקרוב ונראה תוך פירסא מקהלתינו.ד

An English translation of the תקנה:

It was agreed, that card playing is totally אסור, or in חרם. Excluding those women visiting a kimpeturin. On חנוכה, men are also permited to play. But men with women, or boys with girls even if they are related are included in the חרם and may not play cards together. This איסור applies to all those areas which are within a פרסא of our community.

 

Since on חנוכה card playing was permitted, the מנהג was that shortly before חנוכה the ראש הקהל would announce; "card playing is now permitted". This announcement would nullify the חרם. The חרם did not take effect again, until there was another anouncement; "דאס שפיעלן איסט וויעדער אסור כמקדם", "the playing of cards is now אסור as in the past".  The reinstating of the חרם was usually delayed until the רייצעשער ניטל (the Russian Nitel) which was on January 6th.

In a book entitled A Walk Through the Jewish History of Eisenstadt published by the Austrian Jewish Museum of Eisenstadt, there is the following interesting anecdote about Frumet Wolf, (abt. 1770-1849), the great great grandmother of Dally [דוד בן דוב בן חנה בת גיטל בת פרומט].

 

Some women in the community really enjoyed playing cards, so after חנוכה they made use of the other exceptions provided in the תקנה. One of those women was the Babbe Frumet, who had a reputation for being truly fond of card playing.  She is reputed to have asked poor women who had recently given birth for the keys to their houses, when they themselves had long returned to work.  Naturally, she reciprocated by giving them meals and money.  There are several stories of how in order not to be deprived of her card game, the Babbe Frumet would sometimes go with her friends to the next village -where the ban did not apply- to spend the day playing cards.