From Menorahs to Massive Meals: How the Jewish Community Is Setting World Records

When I was 12 years old, I bought a large paperback copy of The Guinness Book of World Records. It gave me hours of entertainment. I loved flipping through its pages to discover who was the tallest, heaviest, or shortest person in the world—and who held records that ranged from the impressive to the downright absurd.

One record, in particular, has stuck with me all these years: the man with the world’s longest mustache. I still remember the photo of him proudly posing alongside his whiskers.

Those childhood memories came rushing back recently when I learned that on November 21, 2025, Temple Emanu-El’s Streicker Center in New York City organized a “Big Shabbat” dinner at the Javits Center that drew an astounding 2,761 participants. The event officially entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest Shabbat dinner ever held.

This wasn’t the first time Jews gathered in record-setting numbers for Shabbat. In 2015, during the European Maccabi Games in Berlin, approximately 2,322 people came together for a communal Shabbat meal—then the largest on record. And the year before that, in 2014, an event in Tel Aviv organized by White City Shabbat and Chabad-Lubavitch brought 2,226 participants to the table.

All of this got me wondering: What other Guinness World Records exist in the Jewish world? And what new records might be possible if we put our minds—and our communities—to work?

Take the world’s largest menorah, for example. You may have seen it in person. The massive public menorah near Central Park in Manhattan was created by artist Yaacov Agam for the Lubavitch Youth Organization. According to Guinness, it stands 32 feet tall, spans 28 feet wide, and weighs roughly 4,000 pounds.

Or consider large-scale menorah lightings. On December 14, 2023, a group of young children in Jerusalem set a record when 1,136 menorahs were lit simultaneously.

Even dreidel spinning has gone big. In December 2015, a crowd gathered in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv and set a world record when 2,000 people spun dreidels at the same time for at least ten seconds.

And if you’re wondering where the world’s largest sukkah can be found, look no further than Safra Square in Jerusalem. Measuring more than 2,500 square feet, it can accommodate up to 650 people and serves as a hub for workshops, music, and public programming throughout Sukkot each year.

But these records may be just the beginning. With a little creativity, the Jewish community could set many more. Here are a few ideas that might inspire someone to take the lead:

• Most People Learning Torah Simultaneously
  Imagine a coordinated moment when Jews around the world—online or in person—study the same pasuk or halacha at the exact same minute.
• Largest Hafrashat Challah Event
  Large challah bakes already exist, but a global, halachically coordinated event could bring together the largest number of women performing this mitzvah at once, either in a single venue or across synchronized locations.
• Largest Tefillin-Wrapping Event
  Here’s one tailor-made for our friends at Chabad: gather the largest group of Jewish men to put on tefillin simultaneously, perhaps in a stadium or before Shacharit.
• Longest Mezuzah Line on a Single Street
  Choose a long residential street in an Orthodox community—Monsey, the Five Towns, Lakewood, or Teaneck come to mind—and ensure every doorway has a kosher mezuzah checked and affixed within 24 hours.
• Largest Shofar-Blowing Event
  Before Rosh Hashanah, coordinate thousands of shofar blowers to sound tekiah together at the same moment, tied to a campaign of teshuvah and Jewish unity.
• Largest Group Saying Tehillim at Once
  Organize a worldwide moment when tens of thousands of Jews recite the same perek of Tehillim together for the merit of klal yisrael.
• Most People Performing a Mitzvah of Tzedakah Simultaneously
  A global campaign where participants give a coin or a dollar to charity at the same moment, coordinated through schools, synagogues, and community organizations.

Of course, records could also be set through volunteer efforts—such as the largest clothing drive or food distribution campaign. Or maybe we should lean into the fun side of things: the world’s largest cholent cookoff, the biggest hora circle, or even the longest havdalah candle.

So why should the Jewish community bother setting records at all?

Yes, it generates great publicity. But more importantly, it builds communal pride. Large public rituals reinforce Jewish identity, unity, and visibility—especially in places where Jews are a minority.

These events can also be powerful educational tools. They attract attention from the media and passersby, helping non-Jews learn more about Jewish traditions and fostering understanding and connection.

And perhaps most meaningful of all, record-setting allows us to link ancient rituals—like Shabbat dinners and menorah lightings—to modern expressions of communal vitality.

So … I’ll end with a simple question: What Jewish world record would you like to help establish?