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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000229

Largest Synagogue by Floor Area

Record holder

Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New YorkPlace

Record value

3,523 m²

Country: United StatesAchievement location: New York City, New York, United StatesAchievement date: 1929Current record

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Interior of Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York

Interior of the current Fifth Avenue sanctuary of Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York.Adityaghosh13 / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 4.0

Official record definition

The synagogue listed by Guinness World Records in its 'largest synagogue' category, measured by the floor-area figure stated on that controlling public record page.

Measurement methodology

Documented floor-area comparison from Guinness World Records

Measurement point: building floor area

Record story

Temple Emanu-El's scale is part of a broader story about the confidence and visibility of American Jewish institutional life in the early twentieth century. The current Fifth Avenue sanctuary is monumental without ceasing to be a working synagogue. Guinness World Records' 3,523-square-metre benchmark gives JWR a clear measurable record, while the building's continuing use gives that measurement living cultural context.

Media

Video presenting the record-holding Temple Emanu-El building and its architecture in New York City.

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
27 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

Guinness World Records states that Temple Emanu-El in New York City has an area of 3,523 m² and is the world's largest synagogue.

Superiority evidence

As re-checked on 27 September 2026, Guinness World Records continues to list Temple Emanu-El, New York City, at 3,523 m² in its 'largest synagogue' category. JWR therefore records the current Guinness benchmark rather than making a broader unsourced architectural claim.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Largest synagogue — Guinness World Records
  • Largest synagogue — Guinness World Records

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Temple Emanu-el — Architectural Record

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

  • Temple Emanu-el

    Independent publicationArchitectural Record· 1 June 2007

    What this proves: Architectural Record identifies Temple Emanu-El on Fifth Avenue in New York City as the largest synagogue in the world.

  • Largest synagogue

    Official recordGuinness World Records

    What this proves: Explicitly identifies Temple Emanu-El as a synagogue and the record subject as a synagogue.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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