Page "Siyum HaShas" Paragraph 32

An estimated 120, 000 people in the U. S. and 300, 000 worldwide participated in the 11th Siyum Hashas.

The largest celebrations were held on 1 March 2005 in three locations in the New York area: Madison Square Garden, the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey, and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, with a combined 45, 000 attendees.

Portions of each program were telecast to the other sites and to more than 50 locations countrywide, including the Rosemont Theatre in Chicago, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.

The programs were also broadcast to 20 overseas locations.

The honor of reciting final portion of the final page at the Continental Arena event was given to Rabbi Chaim Stein, rosh yeshiva of the Telshe yeshiva of Wickliffe, Ohio, who was making his ninth personal Siyum HaShas and had participated in each of the ten preceding events, including the first one held at Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin in 1931.