To mark the completion of the 12th Daf Yomi cycle a massive siyum will be held one year from now, on the 13th of Av 5772, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The site may be the largest venue to ever host a Shas siyum.
The number of Daf Yomi participants in the US has been rising for decades. For the 5757 (1997) siyum two venues were booked: Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum. To accommodate the following Siyum HaShas, Agudah organizers searched for a single venue that offered a large enough capacity for all. After not finding a suitable site, they again booked Madison Square Garden and the Continental at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. As the date drew near, a third venue was added, the Javits Center in Manhattan.
"It's really thrilling to see so many Jews join the legion of the King, the ranks of Daf Yomi learners, from one cycle to the next," says Rabbi Shlomo Gertzulin, of Agudas Yisroel of America and one of the organizers of the 5742 (1982) siyum.
In advance of next year's siyum it was discovered that Madison Square Garden is scheduled to undergo renovation work next summer during the time period needed and would not have the capacity needed for all the participants expected.
"Therefore, we're pleased to announce that we have secured a single facility for the central siyum, that will be able to accommodate everyone under one roof," said Rabbi Gertzulin. "The hall can accommodate 60,000 people sitting, with standing room for 90,000."
The late Agudah president, Rabbi Moshe Sherer, always spoke of his vision of uniting Klal Yisroel in a single place for a show of kovod haTorah. "It would be a real zchus
for me to make that vision come true," Rabbi Gertzulin added.
The enormous stadium is also very accessible to New York and New Jersey residents and close to Newark Liberty Airport.
