Long Beach’s Goldie Steinberg Celebrates 112th Birthday

Surrounded by family, friends, staff and elected officials, Goldie Steinberg, a resident at Grandell Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Long Beach, NY, celebrated her 112th birthday on January 13. A special celebration was held to commemorate the event at Grandell, a 278-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation care center.

The party was scheduled for October 30, 2012, but when Hurricane Sandy happened, Ms. Steinberg and her fellow residents had to be evacuated, Grandell was closed for several weeks and the party was postponed.

Ms. Steinberg was born October 30, 1900 in Chisinau (now called Kishinev) in the region of Moldova (now part of Romania) and one of eight children. At the age of three, she survived the Kishinev pogrom, in which rioters over three days killed more than 40 Romanian Jews, injured 600, and destroyed 1,500 homes and businesses.

She came to the United States at the age of 23 and was married in 1932 to Philip Steinberg. The couple moved into an apartment in Brooklyn and had two children. Her husband died in 1967, but she continued to live in the apartment until 2004, when she moved into Grandell.

Despite her age, Ms. Steinberg helps out fellow residents, as well as knits scarves, blankets and shawls for friends and staff. She loves to read the newspaper and follow the national political scene. She has voted in every single presidential election since 1924. An avid New York Yankees fan, she has lived to see the Bronx Bombers win all 27 World Series titles and 40 American League Championship Series titles.

“My children keep me alive,” she said of her secret to her longevity.

It is believed that Ms. Steinberg is currently the oldest-living Long Islander and the 24th oldest-living person in the world. According to the Gerontology Research Group, there are approximately 300-450 super centenarians (those who have attained the age of at least 110 years) living worldwide. She has donated a sample of her DNA, which is being studied at the Albert Einstein Medical College and Boston University School of Medicine to determine what contributes to a super centenarian’s longevity.

{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}