In recent years, Maccabi Tel Aviv has done a great deal toward commemorating the Holocaust of the Jews in Europe and today, the club marked an exceptional personal story. Israel Krysztal, born in Żarnów Poland and a resident of Haifa, will mark his 111th birthday today, naming him the World’s Oldest Holocaust Survivor.
Israel was born in a very quaint place to a family that owned a confectionary, but as WWI broke out and before he was 11 years old, he became an orphan and was later sent to the Lodz Ghetto with his first wife. In 1944, he was sent to Auschwitz, which he survived and where his wife perished. Despite the hardships, Israel continued the family business and brought his experience to Israel when he immigrated in 1950.
Krysztal, three years older than the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club, received a touching gesture today as two members of the team, Barak Yitzhaki and Eden Ben Basat organized a birthday party for Israel. The players were very moved by Israel’s life story; they hugged him on behalf of the club and gave him a jersey bearing the number 111. The two players brought a birthday cake and balloons appropriate for a celebration that happens only once in 111 years.
Krysztal wished the players good health and success in their next games and the upcoming season. During the visit, club owner Mitch Goldhar called from Canada and spoke to Israel and his daughter, Shula, who was also at the party. Goldhar said: ““We cannot comprehend the challenges that you have endured, but we can and are incredibly inspired by your courage and spirit.”
His daughter, Shula, thanked the club owners and players for the touching gesture and for coming to Haifa to celebrate with her father. The players updated Israel on the team’s current position and told him about the yellow team’s longstanding history. They joked that Eden Ben Basat wears a jersey with 99 on it and that Israel now has the highest number in the club – 111, marking his birthday.
When talking about the visit, Eden Ben Basat said: “We were very touched. There is no greater honor than to please and celebrate such a special person who experienced and went through many hardships and still greets you with a smile and an open heart. Israel is inspiring at all levels, a role model who showed us the meaning of being optimistic in life.”
Barak Yitzhaki added: “When I gave Israel the championship cap and scarf, I told him that he is the true champion. I left the visit with a great sense of hope and pride, pride that was born before the First World War, survived the Holocaust and built a family of 24 great grandchildren. Celebrating a 111th birthday is undoubtedly one of the most exciting events of my life. I thank Israel and his family for their hospitality, smile and big heart.”
The Maccabi Tel Aviv family, along with all of Israel, wish Israel a happy birthday, good health and longevity.
Reporting by Maccabi Tel Aviv
