Rummikub board game

Rummikub is a world-renowned tile-based game that blends elements of Rummy and Mahjong. It was invented in the early 1940s by Ephraim Hertzano, a Romanian-born Jew who immigrated to Israel. Because card playing was restricted under the regime in his native country, he developed the game using hand-carved wooden tiles, which eventually evolved into the iconic plastic tiles used today.

The game's production remains deeply rooted in Israel, where it is manufactured by Lemada Light Industries, the company founded by Hertzano. Over the decades, Rummikub has become one of the most popular games globally, exported to over 70 countries and translated into dozens of languages. It is often licensed to different distributors like Hasbro or Goliath Games depending on the region.

Today, the brand is still family-operated through Lemada Light Industries Ltd. While manufacturing is centralized in Israel to ensure quality control of the specialized tiles, licensing agreements allow for regional distribution and marketing efforts across North America, Europe, and Asia.