Researchers have discovered that a Holocaust survivor may be one of the oldest people in the world – without even realising it.
Malka “Mollie” Horwitz is among the oldest Holocaust survivors alive and plans to celebrate what she believes to be her 110th birthday on Monday (16 Mar).
But age researchers believe she may actually be even older.
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Mollie was born Malka Godur in Vilkomir, Russian Empire, now called Ukmergė, Lithuania.
She married her husband in 1935 and they had a son in 1938.
She was in her mid-twenties when Hitler’s troops invaded Lithuania.
She spent four agonising years captive in a ghetto. Her husband died and she separated from her young son to protect him.
After the Second World War, she was reunited with her son before fleeing with him to Cuba in 1947.
In 1962, with just $20 and a second child, she left the island – which had been declared communist the previous year – for the US to start over once again.
She remarried twice, taking the surname of her third husband, who has since died.
Today she lives in Miami Beach, where she enjoys visits from her two children, seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
On Monday, Mollie will officially become a supercentenarian – one of just over 200 worldwide, according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).
But researchers believe she may already qualify, as reported by Need To Know.
In January, while examining numerous documents from her early and middle years, they came across records suggesting she was born not in 1916 but in 1913.
In fact, the GRG believes the earlier birth year is “much more likely” to be correct.
That would mean she will actually turn 113 on Monday, making her likely to be the oldest living Holocaust survivor.
The Jewish Community Services of South Florida said: “Malka lives in Miami Beach and has been a client of Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS) for over 12 years, where she receives compassionate, in-home care, food assistance and case management through its Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program.
“The program provides vital services, from personal care and meals to social support, for more than 400 Holocaust survivors in Miami-Dade County,” a spokesperson for the group said.
“The average age of these clients is 94.5, making the need for comprehensive elder care and legacy preservation more critical than ever.
“15 of these Holocaust Survivors are aged 100 and up.
“The JCS Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program ensures that survivors like Malka receive the dignity, care, and companionship they need in their final years.
They added: “Services include personal care, food assistance, and social support, helping each survivor age in place with comfort and dignity.”
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