Rose Girone, world’s oldest Holocaust survivor, dies at 113

She was a key figure in the local community, beloved for her expert craftsmanship and for the pivotal role knitting played in her survival during the war.

"She was a strong lady, resilient. She made the best of terrible situations," her daughter, Bennicasa, reflected.

"She was very level-headed, very commonsensical. There was nothing I couldn’t bring to her to help me solve – ever – from childhood on. She was just a terrific lady… and I don’t know, when God made her, they broke the mould."

Born Rose Raubvogel in Janov, Poland, in 1912, Girone’s early years were spent in Hamburg, Germany, where her family ran a theatrical costume shop.

In 1938, she married Julius Mannheim in an arranged marriage, and the couple moved to Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland), just as Kristallnacht broke out. Mannheim was soon arrested and sent to Buchenwald, and Girone, eight months pregnant, fled to avoid persecution.

In 1939, a chance encounter led to Girone’s escape from Nazi Germany. A cousin sent her a paper he claimed was a visa from Shanghai.

It was one of the last open ports in the world, and Girone presented the document to Nazi authorities. This allowed her to secure Mannheim’s release from Buchenwald, and the family left for Shanghai.

“The Nazis let my father out with the proviso that we pay them and get out of the country within six weeks,” Bennicasa said in a 2022 interview. "So we did."

Conditions in Shanghai were harsh for Jewish refugees, but Girone’s knitting skills, taught to her by an aunt in her childhood, became a lifeline.

She quickly began knitting clothing for her baby girl, and a Viennese Jewish businessman helped her sell her work. This provided critical financial support for her family.

In 1947, when the family was granted a visa to the United States, Girone used knitting once again to help the family escape difficult circumstances. With strict limits on how much money they could carry, Girone hid $80 inside the buttons of hand-knit sweaters.

The family ultimately settled in New York, where Girone reunited with her mother, brother, and grandmother, all of whom had survived the war.

Girone divorced her first husband, Julius Mannheim, and in 1968, she married Jack Girone. The couple moved to Whitestone, Queens, where Rose continued to share her passion for knitting as a teacher. She and a partner opened a knitting shop in Rego Park, later expanding to a second location in Forest Hills. When her partnership ended, Girone became the sole owner of Rose’s Knitting Studio.

"Mother was pretty proud of all her designs,” Bennicasa recalled. “People would bring ads from Vogue and the like and say they wanted something just like this particular picture. Some with intricate patterns, Mother would sit, figure it out, lots of times with graph paper. She loved it."

In 1980, Girone sold her business at the age of 68, but knitting remained a lifelong passion.

After the death of her second husband, Girone lived independently until the age of 103. Following a fall and hip injury, she moved to Belair Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in North Bellmore, where she resided until her passing, according to the Long Island Herald.

As Girone shared with the Long Island Herald on her 113th birthday, “The secret to a long, healthy life is simple: Live every day with a purpose, have amazing children, and eat lots of dark chocolate.”

“She just was a terrific lady,” Bennicasa said. “There was nothing that was too hard for her to think about doing. She was just great.”

“She was everybody’s Oma,” Bennicasa added, referring to the German word for grandmother.

She leaves behind her daughter Reha Bennicasa, her daughter’s family, and countless friends and admirers.

Rose Girone born in January 13, 1912, died January 24, 2025.