Milwaukee Rabbi Francis Barry Silberg claimed the world record this week for continuous rope skipping as recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records. He jumped 35,000 rope revolutions in four hours and 10 minutes to surpass the previous record set in 1953 by 2191 turns and one hour. To prepare himself for the feat, Silberg, 32, ran 10 to 15 miles daily and jumped rope whenever his rabbinic duties allowed the time. He is the associate rabbi at Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun.
Completing his jumping, Silberg still had enough energy to do five pushups. Setting world records are not new to the rabbi. At noon on Aug. 12, 1968, he ran the snake path route up Masada in a blazing 16 minutes, 20 seconds, beating even the best Israeli paratroopers who use the run for training. Asked what he wanted to set a record at next, his wife replied, “We’re going dancing tonight.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
