© 2026 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

After 100 Years, Yisrael Kristal Will Finally Get His Bar Mitzvah

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm David Greene. Thirteen-year-old Jewish boys mark their coming of age with a bar mitzvah. But Yisrael Kristal, the world's oldest man, never had one. Born in Poland, his was cancelled because of World War I. Kristal lost his family in the Holocaust and moved to Israel where, this week, a hundred relatives are gathering to celebrate his 113th birthday and to hold that overdue bar mitzvah. We will bless him. We will dance with him. We will be happy, his daughter said. Mazel tov, Mr. Kristal. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

KCUR is here for Kansas City, because Kansas City is here for KCUR.

Your support makes KCUR's work possible — from reporting that keeps officials accountable, to storytelling that connects our community. You can make sure the future of local journalism is strong.