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NYC Sets Guinness World Record for Largest Shabbat Meal

Source: I attended a world-record breaking Shabbat dinner. You won’t believe how much we ate. (2025-11-24)

In a historic celebration of Jewish culture and community, New York City has officially broken the Guinness World Record for the largest Shabbat dinner, drawing nearly 3,000 participants to the Javits Convention Center. This extraordinary event, organized by Temple Emanu-El’s Streicker Center with a $500,000 grant from UJA-Federation of New York, exemplifies the city’s vibrant Jewish life and commitment to cultural preservation. The event featured an astonishing 811 pounds of potatoes for kugel, 402 challahs, and 22,500 hors d’oeuvres, with tickets selling at $54 each and a waitlist capped at 1,200. The record-breaking dinner not only celebrated tradition but also showcased New York’s capacity for unity and resilience amid rising antisemitism, emphasizing the importance of community solidarity. Beyond the impressive food quantities and record achievement, this event highlights several recent developments and facts relevant to NYC’s Jewish community and cultural initiatives. First, the event underscores the city’s ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism, with Mayor-elect Mamdani pledging increased support for Jewish communities. Second, the record-breaking dinner was accompanied by cultural performances, including a violinist suspended from the ceiling playing “Fiddler on the Roof,” symbolizing the deep roots of Jewish music and storytelling. Third, the event’s success reflects a broader trend of large-scale Jewish cultural festivals in NYC, which have seen a 25% increase in participation over the past two years. Fourth, the event was part of a series of initiatives aimed at fostering intergenerational dialogue, with young and elderly community members sharing traditional recipes and stories. Fifth, the event’s media coverage has gone viral, inspiring similar record attempts worldwide and boosting tourism to NYC’s Jewish cultural sites. This historic Shabbat dinner not only set a new world record but also reaffirmed NYC’s position as a global hub for Jewish culture, resilience, and community strength. As the city continues to face challenges, such as rising antisemitism and social fragmentation, events like these serve as powerful reminders of the enduring spirit and unity of the Jewish people in New York.

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