World’s oldest man, 113, dies

THE WORLD’S oldest man, a Holocaust survivor who would have turned 114 next month, died Friday in Israel.

Yisrael Kristal (photo) died in Haifa, according to the Guinness World Records.

Kristal claimed his title as the oldest living man at the age of 112 years and 178 days last year, and was given a certificate at his home.

“I don’t know the secret for long life,” Kristal once said, according to Guinness. “I believe that everything is determined from above.”

He added, “There have been smarter, stronger and better-looking men than me who are no longer alive. All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost.”

On the day he turned 113 in September, Kristal celebrated with a bar mitzvah. When he was 13 and growing up in Poland, World War I was wreaking havoc.

During World War II, Kristal was sent to Auschwitz, where he lost his wife and two children.

He emigrated to Israel in 1950 with his second wife and their son, and owned a confectionery business.

Kristal is survived by two children, multiple grandchildren and great grandchildren, according to Guinness.

His successor is being determined.