Jewish woman celebrates 111th birthday in South Africa
Rosalie Wolpe Image by wikia.org
(JTA) — Only one person has ever officially fulfilled the traditional Jewish birthday blessing of living “until 120,” but Rosalie Wolpe from South Africa is well on her way.
Wolpe celebrated her 111th birthday last week at her Cape Town retirement facility, Highlands House Home for Jewish Aged, with a rare video call to her daughter, Janet, in Australia, News 24 reported.
Wolpe does not like to use the phone but agreed to have a 20-minute chat nonetheless, according to the report. She also dislikes the fuss that comes with birthday parties, though she had two thrown for her on her birthday Aug. 25, according to her son, David.
Last year, a local women’s Zionist group was among those feting Wolpe at her retirement home, Highlands House Home for the Jewish Aged. This year, only residents of the home were able to attend in person, because the facility is under lockdown because of the coronavirus.
“She handled it with great aplomb,” David Wolpe, 76, said of his mother’s reaction to the birthday parties, which relatives attended virtually.
Asked about the secret to her longevity in a 2017 interview with the South African Jewish Report, the former shopkeeper who was born in 1909 said: “I never had a car. I used to walk a lot.”
The post Jewish woman celebrates 111th birthday under lockdown in South Africa appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
