15 Centenarians in One Place on the Upper West Side

By Lily Seltz

Only .03 percent of the U.S. population is made up of centenarians, or people 100 years old or older. Fifteen of them live at or are affiliated with one place on the Upper West Side: The New Jewish Home, a comprehensive senior healthcare system based at 106th Street and Columbus Avenue.

With flowers, balloons, embroidered blankets, and bottles of Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider, The New Jewish Home held a birthday celebration for the fifteen centenarians on Tuesday. Former beauticians, seamstresses, tap dancers, and an Air Force navigator were among the celebrants, with friends and family members in attendance. 

Founded in 1848 as the B’nai Jeshurun Ladies Benevolent Society for the Relief of Indigent Females, The New Jewish Home now serves older adults of all genders and faiths. 

Dr. Jeffrey Farber, President and CEO, opened the program with a strong message against ageism. “Older adults don’t belong on the margins of society,” he said. “They belong firmly at the center.”

Farber told the Rag that while American society “[chooses] to view aging and older adults as a problem,” he sees it as “one of the greatest achievements.”

Upper West Side City Councilmember Shaun Abreu attended the celebration, along with representatives from Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine’s and Assemblymember Micah Lasher’s offices.

New York State Senator Cordell Cleare, of Harlem, presented personalized proclamations to each of the fifteen centenarians, recognizing them as individuals “worthy of our highest respect and esteem.” Rhoda Koltun, a kindergarten teacher, mother of three sons, and a “woman of strong Jewish faith,” was the oldest recipient, at age 106. 

Helen Hall, age 100, was recognized for her “remarkable legacy of independence, kindness, and community spirit.” Hall worked in a school cafeteria, traveled widely, and was a dedicated member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 

She shared the following advice to younger generations: “If you like something, you like it. If you don’t, then don’t do it.” 

William Conrad, age 100, was held in Russia as a prisoner of war during World War II. After his release, he received a college scholarship and went on to become a celebrated biophysicist and committed spiritualist. (He remains the oldest living member of New York’s Vedanta Society.) 

Until age 98, Conrad lived in a third floor walkup apartment. The only man among the fifteen centenarians, he credits his remarkable longevity to the daily climb. 

Assemblymember Al Taylor, also of Harlem, pushed back against what he called the “rumor” that people who leave their homes to enter nursing facilities see their health decline. “I don’t believe that’s true. I can’t find it true here,” he said.

“I would imagine y’all got the wrong young lady in here,” he joked, gesturing to Lillian Hall, who at 102 remains an active member of her Baptist church in Harlem and in the 33rd Precinct’s community outreach program. In her free time, Hall told the Rag, she likes to crochet. 

After a moment of gratitude led by Rabbi Rafi Cohen, the elected officials and their representatives led the room in a rendition of Happy Birthday. Hall cut the first slice of an enormous cake. 

Hall, who grew up on a farm in the South with no electricity or running water, warned young people against “distractions” that might keep them from interacting with others in person (gesturing to the Rag reporter’s cell phone, which was doubling as a recording device).

She seemed pleased but mostly unruffled by all the pageantry. For her 100th birthday, Hall recalled, she’d attended five different parties.

She had one other piece of advice to offer: “Keep that smile, or you’ll get wrinkles.”

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