The world’s oldest man, Yisrael Kristal, a Holocaust survivor who lived in Haifa, Israel, has passed away just a month short of his 114th birthday, his family said Saturday.
Oren Kristal, a grandson, said he died Friday. “He managed to accomplish a lot. Every year he lived was like a few years for somebody else,” Oren told The Associated Press.
Last year Guinness World Records awarded Kristal a certificate as the world’s oldest man at his home in Haifa, Israel.
Yisrael Kristal was born in Zarnow, Poland, to an orthodox Jewish family on 22 Elul 5663 (Sept. 15, 1903). His mother passed away when he was 7 years old. His father was drafted into the Russian army during World War I and subsequently killed, leaving Yisrael on his own at the young age of 11. However, his father had provided him a solid traditional Jewish education, and that helped him remain a man of deep faith and religious commitment throughout his life.
Kristal lost his wife and two children during World War II, as well as his other relatives. He survived Auschwitz, in addition to the Wustegiersdorf, Dornau and Schotterwerk Nazi concentration camps. When he was rescued by Allied forces in May 1945, he weighed 37 kilos (81.4 pounds) and was on the brink of death.
He left for Israel in 1950 with his second wife, Batsheva, also a survivor, and their baby son Hayim, settling in Haifa. They were soon blessed with another child, a daughter, Shulamit, and opened the Kristal Candy Factory in 1952 on Shivat Zion Street. It became increasingly successful over the years until his retirement in 1970.
Hayim and Shulamit have nine children between them—and their children have children—in a way rebuilding family their parents had lost in Europe.
An observant Jew, Kristal himself only celebrated his bar mitzvah last year, a hundred years later than usual. He missed his bar mitzvah — the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony celebrated when a boy turns 13 — because of World War I.
Oren said his grandfather gave no explanation to the secret for his incredible longevity.
He is survived by two children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, media reported.
BDE his family should only know simchas and tell his story over and over again.
seemingly all odds! And did succeed with Hashem’s help. BDE!
he
experienced almost every catastrophe this sheker world can throw at a Jew, and despite it all, fiercely held on to an iron will to live on as a true mensch! He’s a inspiration to us all! His memory is a Mamosh blessing! Perhaps with his beautiful example he can tip the scale for the Geulah Schleima Immediately! I’m awed by his example!