Friday, February 14, 2025
According to Rose Girone — a 113-year-old Bellmore resident — the secret to a long, healthy life is simple: Live every day with a purpose, have amazing children, and eat lots of dark chocolate.
Girone, who has resided in the Belair Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Bellmore since she was 109, rung in her milestone 113th birthday on Jan. 13 or, coincidentally, 1/13. She’s the oldest person living in New York, the fifth oldest in the U.S., the 28th oldest in the world — and perhaps most impressively — the oldest living Holocaust survivor.
Girone was born on Jan. 13, 1912 in Poland. Her family moved around a few times during her early life, and one of the places she lived was Vienna, Austria. In 1938, she married her first husband, Julius Mannheim, and they moved to Breslau, Germany, which is now Wroclaw, Poland — around the same time Nazi aggression towards Jews became prevalent.
By 1939, the family knew they had to leave Germany, and fled to the only country that still had openings for immigrants — China. Girone and her family, including her young daughter, Reha, arrived in Shanghai’s international settlement after a month-long boat trek, and for a short while, there was peace in the city.
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 would buy water, bathe her daughter, wash clothes and then the floor of their living quarters — all with the same bucket. They had no heat or stove, but lots of rats and vermin.
Girone’s granddaughter, Gina Bennicasa, who resides in Merrick with her husband, Joe Gallart, said Girone was a proficient knitter, and started a small business while in the ghetto to earn some money. 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 after their visas were arranged, the family met Girone’s mother, grandmother, aunt and uncle, who were in Brooklyn. Girone divorced her first husband, who Bennicasa refers to as “Opa,” and married her second husband, Jack Girone, in 1968.
“She went on her first date with my grandfather, Jack Girone, on the day I was born,” Bennicasa said. “He lived till he was 76, but they had this beautiful life together. They went sailing — went on great trips. He was just the greatest grandfather.”
Girone’s ventures in knitting never wavered throughout her life, and she worked at various shops. At one point, she even opened a knitting concession stand at the Sagamore Hotel in upstate Lake George.
Girone 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 kept knitting — volunteering and teaching the art at libraries, and in other capacities — for many years to come.
Girone lived alone at her apartment in Beechhurst, Queens until she was 103, at which point, her daughter, Reha, son-in-law, Frank Bennicasa, and Gina, decided to get her an in-home aid. After a fall that caused an injury at 109, Girone moved to Belair for rehabilitation services — which is very close to where her family members live in Merrick — and has resided at the nursing home ever since.
Girone doesn’t knit anymore, but Bennicasa said she still catches her Oma counting in German, as though she is knitting, while she’s sleeping. In good health, Girone can still hold a conversation, and is somewhat of a celebrity around Belair.
“It’s pretty incredible,” Bennicasa said of her Oma. “She’s always been so positive.”
Girone’s strength and resilience have never wavered, Bennicasa said.
“She always says the secret to her longevity is she loves to eat dark chocolate,” her granddaughter said, “she has good children, and she has a purpose. She always said to me, ‘Always have a purpose in life. Get up, and always have a purpose.’”
