On the ground floor of the Atria Tanglewood, a senior living facility in Lynbrook, Leon and Rita Vilinsky celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary.
The surprised couple walked into the ballroom — a packed room of residents and staff on April 8. A two-tier wedding cake, adorned with white roses and “Happy 75th Anniversary” in gold cursive, and a black-and-white photo from their wedding day in 1951 was displayed on stretched canvas.
When Atria Tanglewood’s Engage Life Director Julianne Bertini learned of their milestone, she immediately started planning a special moment for them. She reached out to the Vilinsky’s family, invited Rabbi Jill Kaplan of Congregation B’nai Sholom-Beth David in Rockville Centre to give a blessing, and contacted friends from their temple to join them.
“I have been in senior living for over 13 years and I’ve never seen a couple make it to 75 years of marriage,” Bertini said. She knew this extraordinary event “had to be big, memorable and rare.”
The Brooklyn-native couple grew up a street away from each other in Bensonhurst but didn’t meet until they locked eyes at a dance hosted by their alma mater CUNY Brooklyn College. Leon recalled knowing it was love after their first date, when Rita fell asleep on his shoulder during the bus ride back home. Soon after, they tied the knot as the Vilinsky’s on April 7, 1951. Leon was 23 and Rita 20.
However, their love was paused momentarily when Leon was deployed to Korea, just a year into their marriage. During that time, Rita learned her secret to love: patience. She waited for Leon to return and after three years, they reunited and have been together ever since, raising three children, welcoming several grandchildren, and building a life filled with Long Island memories.
“First of all, I don’t think I ever expected to live this long. It’s been a wonderful life,” Rita said.
For Leon and Rita, it was not an easy decision to move to Atria after living in their Lynbrook home of 62 years. It was an adjustment for the couple, but after two years, they have found a routine and a place of comfort in their new home. “It’s not like being in your own home, it’s different but it’s been good. And I hope that the years that we have left, we can enjoy them,” she said.
The celebration began with blessings from Kaplan, who has been a spiritual leader at Atria for the past 15 years.
“It’s nice when temple members are residents here because there’s a continuity for them [so] they won’t feel like ‘I’m in this strange, weird place’,” she said.
During the blessing, Leon and Rita sat underneath a chuppah, a traditional canopy that symbolizes the home that a Jewish bride and groom build together. It represents a foundation of love and prosperity.
Diamond anniversaries of marriage, are exceptionally rare with little data recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau. But the secret to such longevity is simple to Leon and Rita.
“You respect each other, and if there’s a rough spot, just make sure it doesn’t last too long,” Leon said. “You can’t carry any baggage.”
Rita agreed. “If you have an argument, you got to make up before you go to bed,” she said. “Just before the day is over, make amends … and go to sleep with a clear head.”
For Leon and Rita, celebrating 75 years of marriage is more than a milestone. It’s a testament to their lifetime of love, resilience, and partnership.
“We’ve been spending many years together, it’s been a good life. Being on Long Island is one of the best places to live,” Leon said.
