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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000233

First Torah Reading in Space

Record holder

Jeffrey HoffmanPerson

Record value

2 March 1996

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Earth orbit, United StatesAchievement date: 2 March 1996Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Jeffrey Hoffman reading from the Torah aboard Space Shuttle Columbia

NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman reading from the Torah aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-75 in 1996.Space Torah Project / NASAspacetorahproject.comPublic domain

Official record definition

The earliest documented Torah reading performed beyond Earth, during a crewed spaceflight.

Measurement methodology

Chronological review of documented Jewish ritual activity during human spaceflight

Measurement point: first documented Torah reading beyond Earth

Record story

On 2 March 1996, during Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-75, Jewish-American astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman read from a small Torah scroll while orbiting Earth. The scroll had been arranged through his Houston Jewish community and was light enough to fly aboard the Shuttle. Hoffman read from Genesis on Shabbat, creating a documented milestone in Jewish religious life beyond Earth. The act became the centerpiece of the later Space Torah Project, which preserved Hoffman's footage, photographs and the story of the congregation that helped make the flight possible.

Media

Gallery

  • Jeffrey A. Hoffman
    Jeffrey A. Hoffman, record holder.NASA / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
27 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The Space Torah Project and contemporary reporting document Jeffrey Hoffman reading from a Torah scroll aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-75 on 2 March 1996.

Superiority evidence

The Space Torah Project documents Hoffman's STS-75 Torah reading as the first Torah reading in space.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

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

  • Mezuzahs in Space — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • The Space Torah Project — The Space Torah Project
  • The first Torah reading in orbit and 5 other fun facts about Jews in space — Jewish Telegraphic Agency
  • The Space Torah story — Space.com
  • Space Torah: when the creation story flew back into the firmament — Times of Israel
  • Astronaut Fact Book — Jeffrey A. Hoffman — NASA

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

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

  • Israeli stamps show the first Torah scroll flown in space — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

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

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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