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Yeshiva University Beats Dreidel Spinning World Record

By Carla Zanoni | December 1, 2010 10:15am

By Carla Zanoni

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Students and community members celebrated the first night of Chanukah in Washington Heights by breaking the dreidel spinning world record on Tuesday.

The group spun 618 dreidels for 10 seconds straight with the sound of the Yeshiva University gym buzzer timing the spin, earning them spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Dreidel is a game of chance traditionally played Chanukah, which began at sundown Tuesday night, where players spin a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side for prizes, typically chocolate gold wrapped coins called gelt.

"It was incredible to see this crowd tonight," Jason Katz, co-president of Students Helping Students, told the school's blog YUNews.

The previous record was held for five years by congregants at Temple Emanuel in Cherry Hill, NJ, when they spun 541 dreidels at once.

"Dreidel-Palooza," organized by Students Helping Students (SHS), aimed to raise money for undergraduate scholarships at the school. The event was co-sponsored by Major League Dreidel, the first ever official dreidel league.

Guiness still has to verify the results before the record is official.