Ephraim Hertzano

Ephraim Hertzano
אפרים הרצנו
Ephraim Hertzano
Born1912
Died1987(1987-00-00) (aged 74–75)
NationalityIsraeli
OccupationBoard game designer
Known forInventor of Rummikub
Awards
  • Spiel des Jahres (1980)
  • Spel van het Jaar (1983)

Ephraim Hertzano (Hebrew: אפרים הרצנו 1912 – September 1987) was a Romanian-born Israeli board game designer. He is the inventor of the board game Rummikub.[1]

Biography

Ephraim Hertzano was born in Romania, to a Jewish family. He originally sold toothbrushes and cosmetics. He invented the tile game Rummikub in the 1940s when card-playing was outlawed under the Communist regime. In the 1940s, after immigrating to British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel) after World War II,[2] the former perfume seller developed the first sets with his family in the backyard of his home in Bat Yam.[3]

Over the years, the family licensed it to other countries. Rummikub became Israel's best selling export game. In 1977, it became a best-selling game in the United States.[2] The following year Hertzano published an Official Rummikub Book, which describes three different versions of the game: American, Sabra, and International.[4] The game was first made by Lemada Light Industries Ltd, founded by Hertzano in 1978 and today is one of the most popular family games of all time.[citation needed]

Hertzano died in September 1987.[5][6]

Awards and recognition

See also

References

  1. ^ Klingbail, Sivan (4 March 2004). "Hertzano family plays with Hasbro again". Haaretz.
  2. ^ a b "Rummikub is the chairman of the board". Archived from the original on 6 November 2006. Retrieved 28 January 2007.
  3. ^ "Rummikub: Old Memories". www.skooldays.com.
  4. ^ Hertzano, Ephraim (1978). The Official Rummikub Book. Sterling Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-8069-4945-1.
  5. ^ "Behind the Headlines: from Romania to Israel to the Rhine: Rummikub Makes Waves Among Devoted," Jewish Telegraph Agency, 11 October 1994.
  6. ^ "אפרים הרצנו 1912 - 1987 BillionGraves Record". BillionGraves.