World records for everyone? Not in Israel, says Guinness
No record submissions from Israel or the "Palestinian territories" are being considered unless they come from a "UN Agency"
Guinness World Records has confirmed that it is not accepting submissions from Israel and has not done so since November 2023, after an Israeli charity reported that its attempt to get the organisation to consider a potential world record had been rejected.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Tuesday that the Matnat Chaim charity, which helps people to voluntarily donate a kidney, was planning an event to bring 2,000 such donors together in Jerusalem.
However, when the charity approached Guinness World Records for consideration for the event to be included, it was informed that the organisation was not accepting submissions from Israel, as well as Gaza and the West Bank.
Jewish News approached Guinness World Records, which has its headquarters in London. A spokesperson confirmed: “We are aware of just how sensitive this is at the moment. We truly do believe in record breaking for everyone, everywhere but unfortunately in the current climate we are not generally processing record applications from the Palestinian Territories or Israel, or where either is given as the attempt location, with the exception of those done in cooperation with a UN humanitarian aid relief agency.
“The policy has been in place since November 2023. However, we are monitoring the situation carefully and the policy is subject to a monthly review. We hope to be in a position to receive new enquiries soon.”
However, Matnat Chaim maintains that it paid hundreds of dollars to register with Guinness World Records, and that since it heard back from Guinness World Records, the organisation has not responded to its follow up emails. A spokesperson for Guinness World Records told Jewish News that a refund will be processed for this application.
Speaking to Channel 12, Rachel Heber, president of the Israeli charity, said: “Israel leads the entire world in this remarkable revolution of mutual responsibility through altruistic kidney donations. The fact that Guinness refuses to include this Israeli achievement, one that is met with amazement across the medical world, is unacceptable.”
Five Guinness World Records from Israel
While the organisation is not taking record submissions at the moment, here are five records either currently or previously held by people in Israel.
- Largest MegillahCreated and owned by artist Avner Moriah, this record was officially achieved on 23 March 2023. The scroll is 34.295 metres long, with images painted in watercolour and gold/silver leaf on parchment (cow hide) sheets.
Avner Moriah with a section of the Megillah (Guinness World Records) - Most passengers on one commercial flightThis record (which was not sought at the time) was achieved during Operation Solomon in 1991, when Israel emergency airlifted thousands of Ethiopian Jews to safety. Around 1,088 people are believed to have been carried on an El Al Boeing 747 (with all its seats removed to allow for more room). Two babies were reportedly born on the flight itself.
One of the Operation Solomon Flights (Creative Commons: IDF) 3. Most expensive Mezuzah sold in a private sale
The most expensive mezuzah sold in a private sale has held its record for 16 years, achieved by Avraham Borshevsky, a scribe and calligraphy artist, in Jerusalem in July 2009. He sold his mezuzah for $51,361. The number 51,361 is the gematria (numerical value) total of all the letters of the words contained on the mezuzah’s parchment.
Avraham Borshevsky with the Mezuzah (Guinness World Records) 4. (Previous) World’s Oldest Man
Between January 2016 and August 2017, Yisrael Kristal, a Holocaust survivor, was recognised as the world’s oldest man. Born in 1903, he survived both the Lodz Ghetto and Auschwitz, weighing just 37kg when he was liberated. A sweet maker by trade, Kristal moved to Israel in 1950. His first wife and two children were murdered in the Shoah. He remarried, and had two children, nine grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren. He died at the age of 113.
Yisrael Kristal (Creative Commons/Kristal family) 5. World’s heaviest strawberry
In February 2021, Guinness confirmed that Ariel Chahi, from Kadima-Zoran, Israel, had grown the world’s heaviest strawberry, weighing 289 grams. The strawberry was 18cm long, 4cm thick and 34cm in circumference.
Chahi runs a strawberry growing business called “Strawberries in the Field”. The variety of strawberry is known as an Ilan and was bred by Dr. Nir Dai, a researcher from the Israel’s Agricultural Research Organisation.
Ariel Chahi with his strawberry (Guinness World Records)
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