900 teens aim for dreidel record

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PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A group of 900 teenagers gathered in Philadelphia in hopes of setting the world record for most dreidels spinning at once in a single place, officials said.

The event was held Wednesday as part of the 61st annual convention of United Synagogue Youth of the United Synagogue Conservative Judaism, the Philadelphia Daily News reported. The group will find out from Guinness World Records in a few months if they are the new record holders.

The number to beat was 541 dreidels, set in 2005 by Temple Emanuel in Cherry Hill, N.J.

"It's just a great way to show Jewish living, Jewish life, on the last day of Hanukkah," said convention director Karen Stein.

Convention co-chairs Shira Goldstein, 18, and Ellie Carr, 18, said they came up with the idea of breaking the world record as a way of bringing everyone together in one activity and to get some publicity for USY.

"Even if we don't break the record, everyone's going to have fun," Goldstein said.