A Holocaust Survivor Marks Her 100th Birthday: "Thanks to Hashem, I Have Reached This Moment"

Mina Boyar, a Holocaust survivor, celebrated her 100th birthday in recent days. She marked the milestone in a moving and extraordinary gathering, together with dozens of her descendants and family members.

At the start of her remarks, Boyar recited the blessing of Shehecheyanu with deep emotion. She then turned to her family and said: “I am moved to stand here today. To celebrate one hundred years is a great privilege; few merit this. In my life, there were good days, and there were dark and difficult days. Thanks to Hashem, I have reached this moment in good health.”

Boyar, who survived the horrors of the Holocaust and went on to build a large family in the Land of Israel, emphasized in her remarks the magnitude of the miracle and her personal victory. “I built a magnificent family here. I have seen generations continue in the Land of Israel. That is my greatest victory, and that is my joy,” she said.

She later thanked all the family members who came to share in her celebration: “Thank you for coming to celebrate with me. Your participation in my joy is the most beautiful gift for me. I thank Hashem for all the years.”

At the conclusion of her remarks, Boyar asked her descendants to recite together with her the chapter “A Psalm of Thanksgiving.” Her family joined her in reading the chapter in gratitude to Hashem for the years of life, for the large family, and for the generations she has merited to see.