Israel is set to hit the record book yet again; youth groups from Haifa plan to produce the world's longest paper chain – long enough to qualify them for the Guinness Book of World Records.
The youth groups plan to produce an 88-kilometer long paper chain, which consists of pieces of paper folded and stapled to other papers. Paper chains are a popular decoration for Sukkot in Israel, with schoolchildren dedicating long hours of class time to producing chains for their family sukkah. The chains are usually decorated with colors, paint, stickers, and other touches.
Work on the chain will begin Monday, and the groups hope to have it finished by Wednesday, before Sukkot begins. Residents of Haifa are also being drafted into the effort, with many families preparing paper chains at home which they will donate to the cause.
Most of the paper will be recycled, and it will be provided by the Haifa Municipality, which on Monday will dump a ten meter pile of paper in the city's main park.
Israel's most recent world record was set last month. The Israel Agricultural Research Center (Volcani Institute) developed a type of fig that could grow to be 150 grams in weight. The “jumbo fig,” as the Institute calls it, will be marketed in Israel and abroad. The figs were genetically modified to increase their size, The Institute is the only place in the world where such work is being done on figs.