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NY Jewish Center Aims to Host Largest Shabbat Dinner in History According to Guinness World Records
Shabbat candles. Photo: Olaf.herfurth via Wikimedia Commons.
The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center in New York City is hoping to set the Guinness World Record for the largest Shabbat dinner in history by inviting thousands of people to join a Shabbat meal set for November.
The temple, in partnership with the UJA Federation of New York, announced on Monday that its goal is to gather 3,000 people of all ages for a Shabbat dinner on Nov. 21 at the North Javits center in Manhattan. The event is aptly being called “The BIG Shabbat.” Tickets go on sale Aug. 11, and all ticket holders will automatically be entered into a lottery to win two roundtrip flights and stays in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The winner of the lottery will also have the honor of placing a note in Jerusalem’s Western Wall on behalf of everyone attending “The BIG Shabbat” celebration.
Attendees must check into the event by 6:30 pm and remain physically present at the dinner and participate – including children – until 8:30 pm in order to be counted toward the Guinness World Record, according to the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center. A Guinness World Record judge will attend the event with a team to verify the number of attendees who remain seated at the dinner for one hour.
In 2014, Tel Aviv’s “White City Shabbat” set the Guinness World Record for the largest Shabbat dinner in history with 2,226 guests. The following year, Berlin set a new record by hosting a Shabbat dinner with 2,322 attendees. The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center and the UJA Federation New York want to break that record in New York City, which is the second largest Jewish city in the world.
The event is open to members of the Jewish community as well as individuals who are not Jewish. “Whether you’re cultural, spiritual, (un)affiliated, or just curious, join us for a historic night in New York City,” reads a description of the event on its website. “Break bread, break the record, and come together as one proud community.”
“The BIG Shabbat” in New York City will start with appetizers, live music, and entertainment before guests take their seat for a certified kosher vegetarian dairy dinner, served family-style and prepared by a team of 10 chefs, 45 chef assistants, and 156 servers. The menu is curated by Jewish chefs and cookbook authors Jake Cohen, Beejhy Barhany, Joan Nathan, and Adeena Sussman. There will also be live music after dessert and the event will officially end at 10 pm. There will be activities for children and kid-friendly menu options.
The nearby Hudson Yards Synagogue, formerly known as West Side Jewish Center, is hosting a Shabbat prayer service that people can attend before the Shabbat dinner. After the service, a group will walk together from the synagogue to North Javits for the Shabbat meal.
The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center said it is working closely with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the security team at the North Javits center to ensure the safety of all attendees. There will also be a “thorough screening process” at the entrance of the event and security personnel will be stationed throughout the venue.
The post NY Jewish Center Aims to Host Largest Shabbat Dinner in History According to Guinness World Records first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.