Thursday, March 27, 2025
Rose Girone, the oldest known Holocaust survivor and the oldest resident of New York state, died on Feb. 24. She was 113.
Girone, who had resided in the Belair Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Bellmore since she was 109, was born on Jan. 13, 1912 in Poland. She celebrated her 113th birthday just a few weeks ago — making her the fifth oldest person living in the United States and the 28th oldest in the world.
Her granddaughter, Gina Bennicasa, who lives in nearby Merrick, told the Herald that Girone’s secret to a long, healthy life was simple: Live every day with a purpose, have amazing children, and eat lots of dark chocolate.
During Girone’s early childhood, her family moved several times, finally settling in Vienna, Austria. In 1938, she married her first husband, Julius Mannheim, and they moved to Breslau, Germany, which is now Wroclaw, Poland — around the time Nazi aggression toward Jews became widespread.
By 1939, the family knew they had to flee Germany, and they ended up in China — the only country that was still accepting immigrants. Girone and her family, including her young daughter, Reha, arrived in Shanghai’s international settlement after a month-long boat trek.
As World War II raged on and the Japanese eventually occupied Shanghai, the Jewish community was forced into a ghetto within the city. Girone’s family lived in a small room, which was originally a bathroom. Food was scarce and rationed, and hot water had to be purchased from vendors on the street.
Girone, a proficient knitter, earned money in the ghetto through a small business she ran. By 1947, visas were arranged so the family could come to the United States. No one was allowed to bring more than $10 with them, Bennicasa explained, but Girone — who is affectionately referred to as “Oma” — had earned $80 through her knitting ventures.
“Oma knit buttons around the money and put them on a sweater,” Bennicasa explained. “She took her hard-earned money with her — nobody was going to tell her she couldn’t take more than $10.”
Arriving in New York with their visas, the family met Girone’s mother, grandmother, aunt and uncle, who were in Brooklyn. Girone divorced her first husband, who Bennicasa referred to as “Opa,” and married her second husband, Jack, in 1968.
Girone’s passion for knitting never wavered throughout her life, and she worked at various stores. She saved money until she was able to open two shops with a partner — one in Rego Park, Queens, and the other in Forest Hills.
Eventually, she split from her business partner, and became the sole owner of Rose’s Knitting Studio, in a Forest Hills storefront on Austin Street. Her expertise in knitting made her a standout in the industry, and the shop remained successful for 40 years, until it was sold in 1980.
Even after the business closed, Girone would keep knitting — volunteering and teaching the art at libraries, and in other capacities — for many years to come.
Girone lived alone at her Beechhurst, Queens apartment until she was 103, when her family decided to get her an in-home aid. After she was injured in a fall at age 109, Girone was moved to Belair for rehabilitation services — very close to where her family members live in Merrick — and resided there until her death.
“She will always be my Oma, but she was truly ‘The People’s Oma,’” Bennicasa said. “What an amazing life she’s led — she’s a legend and a piece of history.”
Publishing a Facebook post in honor of Girone’s life was the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also known as the Claims Conference, an organization that represents the world’s Jewish population in negotiating for compensation and restitution for victims of Nazi persecution and their heirs.
In the post, Girone’s daughter, Reha, who is also a Holocaust survivor, said: “She was a strong lady, resilient. She made the best of terrible situations. She was very level headed, very commonsensical. There was nothing I couldn’t bring to her to help me solve — ever — from childhood on.”
