01In brief
Yisrael Kristal (September 15, 1903–August 11, 2017) was a Polish-born Israeli confectioner, Holocaust survivor, and Guinness-recognized holder of the title of the world’s oldest living man. In September 2016, aged 113, he celebrated the bar mitzvah he had missed during World War I, a century earlier. After losing his first wife and their two children in the Holocaust, he rebuilt his confectionery business in Poland, remarried, and immigrated to Israel in 1950, settling in Haifa. He died there shortly before his 114th birthday.
02Early Life
Kristal was born on September 15, 1903, in Maleniec, near Żarnów, Poland, into a religious Jewish family.[1] His father was a Torah scholar, and his family expected him to follow the same path.[2] He began studying in a cheder at three, the Hebrew Bible at four, and the Mishnah at six.[1]
His mother died in 1910.[2] During World War I, his father was away serving in the army, and Kristal was unable to celebrate his bar mitzvah in 1916.[3][4] He was orphaned by the end of his youth and remained religiously observant throughout his life.[1]
In 1920, at seventeen, Kristal moved to Łódź.[2] He worked briefly as a metalworker before entering his family’s candy business, where he became an expert confectioner.[1] He married in 1928, and he and his first wife, Feiga, had two children.[1][5]
03Career
Before World War II, Kristal established a sweets and chocolate factory in Łódź.[5] Under Nazi occupation, he and his family were forced into the Łódź ghetto, where he continued making confectionery.[5] His work was sometimes conducted secretly and sometimes encouraged by ghetto leaders, including Judenrat head Chaim Rumkowski.[1] His daughter later recalled that German personnel wanted sweets and chocolates for birthday celebrations and that his skill helped protect him and his wife from deportation for much of their time in the ghetto.[5]
Both children from his first marriage died of illness in the ghetto, aged eight and ten.[5] In 1944, Kristal and Feiga were deported to Auschwitz, where she was murdered and he survived forced labor.[2][5] He also endured labor camps and a forced march, and survived the ordeal weighing only 37 kilograms.[5] Following liberation, he thanked Soviet soldiers by making candy for them.[2]
After the war, Kristal returned to Łódź and rebuilt his confectionery business.[2] In 1947 he married Batsheva, another Holocaust survivor.[1][5] They immigrated to Israel in 1950 with their son, traveling on the ship Komemiyut and settling in Haifa.[1][5] The couple had three children, one of whom died in infancy; a son and a daughter survived him.[4][6]
In Haifa, Kristal first worked at the Palata candy factory before again establishing an independent business.[2] He later manufactured sweets at the Sar and Kristal Factory, which closed in 1970.[1] His products included small chocolate liqueur bottles wrapped in colored foil, carob jam, and chocolate-covered orange peel.[1]
Kristal was recognized as the oldest living Holocaust survivor in 2014 and as the world’s oldest living man in 2016.[4] Verification of his age required documentary evidence from his early life: Guinness World Records required a record from his first twenty years, but the oldest document initially available to his family was his wedding record, made when he was twenty-five.[7] A document discovered in a Polish archive established that he had been a resident of Łódź in 1918, aged fifteen, and helped confirm his age.[7] Guinness recognized him as the world’s oldest living man in March 2016.[3]
In September 2016, six months after receiving his record recognition, Kristal celebrated his bar mitzvah at the age of 113.[2][8] Before the celebration, his daughter said that around one hundred relatives were expected, promising, “We will bless him, we will dance with him, we will be happy.”[3] His children, grandchildren, and nearly thirty great-grandchildren gathered for the ceremony, during which he recited a traditional prayer of gratitude under a prayer shawl.[8] His daughter Shula said that missing the ceremony had always bothered him and described its eventual celebration as a “corrective experience.”[4]
Kristal died in Haifa on August 11, 2017, aged 113, about a month before his 114th birthday.[2] He left a son and daughter, nine grandchildren, and thirty-two great-grandchildren.[6]
04Legacy
Kristal’s longevity placed him among the ten longest-lived men ever recognized by Guinness.[2] Asked about the secret of his long life, he answered: “I don’t know the secret for long life. I believe that everything is determined from above and we shall never know the reasons why.”[3] He also urged people to “keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost.”[3]
His daughter Shula remembered him as an optimistic father who gave her security and strength, saying that despite his experiences he “always saw only the light and the good.”[4] She recalled that, after her husband died, Kristal comforted her by pointing out that he had a grave, unlike many of those murdered and burned at Auschwitz who had no burial.[4] She also said that her father never took living in Israel for granted.[5]
In a reflection on his life, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks interpreted Kristal’s return to confectionery after the Holocaust as a new beginning following the destruction of his earlier life.[9] Sacks also recounted that at his belated bar mitzvah Kristal joked that he was the world’s oldest tefillin-wearer. Gathered beneath his tallit, Kristal pointed to the generations descended from one survivor and reflected on the lives the six million victims might have built.[9]
Sources
- 1Jewish Virtual Library, Yisrael Kristal, accessed on November 5, 2026.
- 2Center for Israel Education, Holocaust Survivor Dies as World’s Oldest Man, accessed on November 5, 2026.
- 3World Jewish Congress, 113-year-old Auschwitz survivor to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah which he missed a century ago, accessed on November 5, 2026.
- 4Ynet, Yisrael Kristal, the oldest man in the world, has died, accessed on November 5, 2026.
- 5Ynetnews, Oldest man in the world, a Holocaust survivor living in Israel, dies, accessed on November 5, 2026.
- 6Mako, The oldest man in the world who lived in Haifa has died at age 114, accessed on November 5, 2026.
- 7The Times of Israel, Age Verification, accessed on November 5, 2026.
- 8The Times of Israel, Bar Mitzvah Celebration, accessed on November 5, 2026.
- 9The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, The World’s Oldest Man | Chayei Sarah | Covenant & Conversation, accessed on November 5, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
Who was Yisrael Kristal?
Yisrael Kristal was a Polish-born Israeli confectioner and Holocaust survivor who Guinness recognized as the world’s oldest living man. After losing his first wife and their two children in the Holocaust, he rebuilt his confectionery business in Poland, remarried, and immigrated to Israel in 1950. He settled in Haifa and died there shortly before his 114th birthday.
What was Yisrael Kristal’s early life like?
Yisrael Kristal was born into a religious Jewish family in Maleniec, near Żarnów, Poland, on September 15, 1903. He began religious studies as a young child and remained observant throughout his life. He moved to Łódź in 1920, worked briefly as a metalworker, then entered his family’s candy business and became an expert confectioner.
How did Yisrael Kristal survive the Holocaust?
Yisrael Kristal was forced with his family into the Łódź ghetto under Nazi occupation, where he continued making confectionery. His skill helped protect him and his first wife from deportation for much of their time there, but their two children died of illness in the ghetto. In 1944, Kristal and his wife Feiga were deported to Auschwitz; she was murdered, while he survived forced labor, labor camps, and a forced march.
What did Yisrael Kristal do after the war?
After the war, Yisrael Kristal returned to Łódź and rebuilt his confectionery business. He married Batsheva in 1947, and they immigrated to Israel in 1950 with their son, settling in Haifa. Kristal worked at the Palata candy factory before establishing an independent business, and later made sweets at the Sar and Kristal Factory until it closed in 1970.
How was Yisrael Kristal’s age verified?
Yisrael Kristal’s age was supported by a document found in a Polish archive showing that he was a resident of Łódź in 1918, when he was fifteen. Guinness World Records required documentary evidence from his first twenty years, while the oldest document his family initially had was his wedding record, made when he was twenty-five. Guinness recognized him as the world’s oldest living man in March 2016.
Why did Yisrael Kristal celebrate his bar mitzvah at age 113?
Yisrael Kristal celebrated his bar mitzvah in September 2016 because he had been unable to mark it during World War I. He recited a traditional prayer of gratitude under a prayer shawl, surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and nearly thirty great-grandchildren. His daughter Shula said missing the ceremony had always bothered him and called the celebration a “corrective experience.”
What did Yisrael Kristal say about the secret to long life?
Yisrael Kristal said he did not know the secret to long life and believed that everything was determined from above, with the reasons never known. He also urged people to keep working hard and rebuild what is lost.