Jewish World Records emblemJewish World Records
Back to all records
JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000237

Jewish HeritageLargest

Largest Havdalah Concert

Record holder

The Shabbat Project — MelbourneOrganization

Record value

10,612 participants

Country: AustraliaAchievement location: Melbourne, VictoriaAchievement date: 25 October 2014Current record

Challenge this record

Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Havdalah candle, kiddush cup and spices

Illustrative Havdalah ritual set; not a photograph of the 2014 Melbourne record event.Olaf.herfurth / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 3.0

Official record definition

The greatest independently documented attendance at a single Havdalah concert recognized as a world record, measured by the verified participant count.

Measurement methodology

Contemporary and retrospective independent reporting of the Melbourne Shabbat Project Havdalah event and its world-record attendance.

Measurement point: people attending the single Havdalah concert

Record story

The record for the Largest Havdalah Concert was set on 25 October 2014 in Melbourne, Australia, with a verified attendance of "10,612 Participants". The gathering took place at Caulfield Park as the culminating event of the local Shabbat Project, organised by The Shabbat Project — Melbourne. Havdalah is the Jewish ceremony that marks the conclusion of Shabbat or a Jewish holiday, and this concert brought the tradition to a record-breaking scale.

The world record is measured by the verified participant count at the single concert. Independent reporting following the event, including by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, documented the attendance figure of 10,612 people. This reporting also identified the Melbourne gathering as the world record for the biggest Havdalah concert, confirming its unique scale.

Media

Record video

How JWR verified this record

Verification status
Verified
Verification date
27 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

JTA explicitly reports the Melbourne 2014 event at 10,612 participants and identifies it as the world record for the biggest Havdalah concert.

Superiority evidence

The record claim is scoped to the documented 10,612-person world-record Havdalah concert; no larger independently documented certified gathering was found in the targeted review.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

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

  • What Is Havdalah? — Chabad.org

Achievement / record verification

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

  • Shabbat Project aims to unite world's Jews in spirit of Sabbath — 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.

Have documented contrary evidence or a stronger counter-candidate? Submit a challenge for review.

View public sourcesChallenge this record

Sources & Verification

  • Shabbat Project aims to unite world's Jews in spirit of Sabbath

    Independent publicationJewish Telegraphic Agency· 5 November 2019

    What this proves: Reports that 10,612 people at Melbourne's Caulfield Park in 2014 set the world record for the biggest Havdalah concert.

  • What Is Havdalah?

    Holder-controlled websiteChabad.org

    What this proves: Documents Havdalah as the Jewish ceremony marking the end of Shabbat or a Jewish holiday.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

Related records

Interior and fixed seating of Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
Jewish Heritage · SynagoguesFirst

First Synagogue to Receive the European Heritage Label

Record holder

Dohány Street Synagogue Complex

Record value

First synagogue formally designated as a European Heritage Label site

The Dohány Street Synagogue Complex in Budapest became the first synagogue to be formally designated as a European Heritage Label site on 1 March 2018. The European Commission’s decision to add the complex to the list followed its selection by an independent panel in 2017. The distinction as the first synagogue to receive the label was explicitly reported by the European Jewish Congress, while the World Jewish Congress described it as the first Jewish site to be granted European Heritage recognition. A review of prior designations found no synagogues among them.

Holder country
Hungary
Achievement location
Budapest, Hungary
Achievement date
1 March 2018
View full record
Exterior of the Ludza Great Synagogue in Ludza, Latvia.
JWR Verified
Jewish Heritage · SynagoguesOldest

Oldest Synagogue in Latvia

Record holder

Ludza Great Synagogue

Record value

Built in 1783

The Ludza Great Synagogue is recognised as the "Oldest Synagogue in Latvia", with a construction date of 1783. Located in the city of Ludza in eastern Latvia, the record is based on the verified construction date of the surviving historic timber structural frame. The age was determined using a combination of "dendrochronological dating of historic timber structure plus documentary heritage comparison". This research method, supported by Latvian government and museum documentation, dates the timber to the early 1780s. Sources identify Ludza not only as Latvia's oldest synagogue but also as the oldest wooden synagogue in the Baltic States.

Country
Latvia
Achievement location
Ludza, Latvia
Achievement date
1783
View full record
Kaddish Synagogue in Daugavpils, Latvia
JWR Verified
Jewish Heritage · SynagoguesOldest

Oldest Active Synagogue Building in Latvia

Record holder

Kaddish Synagogue

Record value

Built in 1850; currently active

The Kaddish Synagogue in Daugavpils, Latvia, is the country's oldest active synagogue, having been built in 1850. The record is based on a comparison of documented construction dates for all currently functioning Jewish houses of worship in Latvia, with uninterrupted use not being a requirement. According to the Jewish Community of Latvia, the nation has two active synagogues. The second, Peitav-Shul in Riga, was completed in early 1905, making the Daugavpils building at 38 Cietokšņa Street earlier by 55 years.

Country
Latvia
Achievement location
Daugavpils, Latvia
Achievement date
1850
View full record