Eight hundred and eleven pounds of potatoes, 402 challahs, 68 chefs, 59 people named David and 27 people named Rachel. It all adds up to the world’s largest Shabbat dinner, which was organized by Temple Emanuel’s Streicker Center and held at the Javits Center on Friday night.
Some 2,800 Jewish New Yorkers packed the top floor of Javits North on 11th Avenue to participate in The Big Shabbat — an official attempt to host the largest Shabbat dinner in history, as verified by the Guinness Book of World Records.
More than a year in the making, the massive dinner spotlighted dishes created by high-profile Jewish chefs (Beejhy Barhany, Jake Cohen, Joan Nathan and Adeena Sussman) and featured entertainment from the likes of Broadway stars Steven Skybell and Shoshana Bean, who performed “Sabbath Prayer” from “Fiddler on the Roof.”
The meal opened with an AI-generated video featuring humorous, Shabbat-related commentary from late Jewish luminaries like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Albert Einstein, Golda Meir and Anne Frank. Following the traditional Shabbat blessings — led by the celebrity chefs themselves, with a moving candle-lighting led by former Hamas-held hostage Omri Miran and his wife, Lishay — guests sat at long tables and dined on a multi-course meal that included salmon, miniature potato kugels, vegetable lasagna and several salads.
At precisely 8:56 p.m., an adjudicator for the Guinness Book of World Records, Andrew Glass — himself a Jew from Brooklyn, with a partnership with Acme Smoked Fish to boot — certified that the gathering was, in fact, the largest Shabbat dinner in history, with 2,761 participants. (There were almost certainly more people in attendance, but participants had to be in their seats at the time of the count.)
Cheers erupted in the room, and Jewish a cappella group Six13 took to the stage to sing Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”
Thus it became official: New York City had broken the record previously held by Berlin, which hosted 2,322 participants at a Shabbat dinner in 2015.
“At this moment in time, in New York, it is so meaningful,” said Kim Hartman, a co-chair of the event. “I hope that this is something that everyone who is here tonight remembers for their life.”
As the dinner drew to a close, my slightly starstruck self — though it turns out you can simply apply to become a Guinness adjudicator if there’s an opening, just like any old job — caught up with Glass about what made this night different from all other nights. Keep scrolling to read our brief conversation.
The official count at The Big Shabbat — held at the Javits Center and organized by Temple Emanu-El’s Streicker Center — was 2,761 participants. (Rob Buchwald)
How did you get this particular assignment?
Luckily for me, they were looking for a Jewish adjudicator, so I fit the bill. I was really excited to take this on, especially as a Jewish New Yorker. It was super exciting to be here at The Big Shabbat.
And how does this compare to other records you’ve adjudicated recently?
Every record is super special in its own way — whether it’s a feat of mass participation, whether it’s a feat of human strength or ability or engineering. This one was super special — just the coordination to be able to serve a meal to almost 3,000 people is incredible. Credit to the chefs, credit to the staff. It is really a huge logistical feat.
You presented a certificate to co-chair Kim Hartman stating that the largest Shabbat dinner occurred. Logistically, on your end, do you create and print everything up ahead of time, assuming that a record will be set? How does that work?
So, yes, they are presented with a certificate that I come with on hand. That certificate does not have a final count on it, of course. But if they achieve the record, which in this case they did, I present that certificate, and they’ll get mailed one with the final number.
Tell me about a few records you’ve adjudicated recently.
Sure, I’ve been adjudicating records since 2016. I love it. My favorite ones in the last year — I saw the largest hip-hop orchestra with Jeezy in Las Vegas. It was incredible. I saw a man achieve two Guinness World Records simultaneously: The farthest distance swam wearing handcuffs, and the fastest time to swim around Manhattan wearing handcuffs. It took him about nine hours and 40 minutes — completely unbelievable.
Have you adjudicated any other Jewish records?
No.
[Though we’d be remiss not to mention that several Jewish-adjacent records have been set in recent years, including the world’s largest strawberry, grown by an Israeli farmer in 2022, and the marriage of Jewish couple Marjorie Fiterman, 102, and Bernie Littman, 100, who became the world’s oldest newlyweds in 2024.]
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