First Jewish Person to Summit Mount Everest
Record holder
Record value
2 October 1988
Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Mount Everest, NepalAchievement date: 2 October 1988Current record
Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records
Dr. Geoff Tabin, holder of JWR-2026-000295.Christropher BriscoeCure Blindness Project Media Kit; image and usage permission confirmed directly to Jewish World Records by Cure Blindness Project.
Official record definition
The earliest documented person who met JWR Jewish Eligibility at the time of achievement and reached the true summit of Mount Everest. Attempts, high points below the summit, and nationality-only claims without qualifying Jewish identity are excluded.
Measurement methodology
Cross-check professional mountaineering documentation of the 2 October 1988 Everest summit against independent Jewish press explicitly identifying Geoffrey Tabin as the first Jew to reach the summit, followed by a targeted search for earlier qualifying Jewish summiteers.
Measurement point: true summit of Mount Everest
Record story
On 2 October 1988, American physician and mountaineer Geoffrey Craig “Geoff” Tabin reached the summit of Mount Everest via the South Col route. The American Alpine Journal records Tabin in the October 2 summit party, providing confirmation from professional mountaineering literature of both the successful ascent and its date. Independent Jewish press later described him as the first Jew to reach Everest’s summit and as the 209th person to do so. Tabin had previously attempted Everest in 1983. He later became the fourth person to complete the Seven Summits and built an internationally recognized medical career devoted to eliminating avoidable blindness.
How JWR verified this record
- Verification date
- 3 October 2026
- Verification standard
- JWR Verification Standard 1.0
Achievement evidence
The American Alpine Journal records Geoffrey Tabin among the climbers who reached the summit of Mount Everest via the South Col route on 2 October 1988, confirming both the achievement and exact date.
Superiority evidence
The Rhode Island Jewish Herald states that in 1988 Tabin became the 209th person and the first Jew to reach the summit of Everest. Targeted counter-candidate research found no documented qualifying Jewish summiteer before him.
Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR
Jewish eligibility verification
Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.
- Geoff Tabin feature — 4 November 1993 — Rhode Island Jewish Herald
Achievement / record verification
Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.
- Thoughts about Everest — American Alpine Club / American Alpine Journal
Superiority / counter-candidate verification
Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.
- Geoff Tabin feature — 4 November 1993 — Rhode Island Jewish Herald
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
Official recordAmerican Alpine Club / American Alpine Journal· 1989
What this proves: Confirms Geoffrey Tabin in the 2 October 1988 Mount Everest summit party via the South Col route.
Geoff Tabin feature — 4 November 1993
Independent publicationRhode Island Jewish Herald· 4 November 1993
What this proves: Explicitly states that Tabin became the first Jew to reach the summit of Everest in 1988.
Official recordStanford Medicine
What this proves: Documents Tabin’s medical career, education, Everest summit and status as the fourth person to complete the Seven Summits.
World highest peak Mount Everest image by Samdesherpa — Wikimedia Commons
Independent publicationWikimedia Commons· 24 November 2016
What this proves: Identifies the selected Mount Everest photograph as Samdesherpa’s own work licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
History
Verified
Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.
Publishedv1
Published to the official JWR registry.