Organizers marked the start of the 13th cycle of study and reading. The event was organized by Agudath Israel of America, an Orthodox Jewish organization. It started celebrating the cycle of study in Europe in 1923.

Thousands of folding chairs and white plastic flooring transformed the stadium's playing field. A dais was built for about 500 rabbis.

A massive mechitzah, or divider that separates men and women during prayers, encircled the upper deck of the stadium, where women were seated. Its curtains were drawn during prayers and opened when they were over.

Women in the upper deck prayed from prayer books, listened intently to speeches and took cell phone videos of the gathering. Men rushed around the stadium's hallways and field when not praying.

A little more than midway through the celebration, the rabbis sang Siman Tov and Mazel Tov, a song of celebration. Attendees danced, swayed in the stands and formed large circles on the field. Rabbis on the dais draped their arms around one another and sang into microphones while rocking from side to side.