Guinness: Israel Holocaust survivor, 112, world’s oldest man

In this photo supplied by Guinness World Records, Marco Frigatti, Head of Records for Guinness World Records, right, presents Israel Kristal a certificate for being the oldest living man, in Haifa, Israel, Friday, March 11, 2016. Guinness said in a statement that Kristal is 112 years and 178 days old as of March 11. Guinness said Kristal was born in 1903 to an Orthodox Jewish family near the town of Zarnow in Poland. However, Susannah Mushatt Jones, an American who is 115, is both the oldest living person and the oldest living woman. (Dvir Rosen/Guinness World Records via AP) In this photo supplied by Guinness World Records, Marco Frigatti, Head of Records for Guinness World Records, right, presents Israel Kristal a certificate for being the oldest living man, in Haifa, Israel, Friday, March 11, 2016. Guinness said in a statement that Kristal is 112 years and 178 days old as of March 11. Guinness said Kristal was born in 1903 to an Orthodox Jewish family near the town of Zarnow in Poland. However, Susannah Mushatt Jones, an American who is 115, is both the oldest living person and the oldest living woman. (Dvir Rosen/Guinness World Records via AP)

By Associated Press March 11, 2016 2 min read

JERUSALEM (AP) – A 112-year-old Israeli who lived through both World Wars and survived the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz is the world’s oldest man, Guinness World Records announced on Friday.

Guinness said in a statement that Israel Kristal is 112 years and 178 days old as of March 11.

Marco Frigatti, Head of Records for Guinness awarded Kristal a certificate at his home in Haifa on Friday.

“I don’t know the secret for long life,” Guinness quoted Kristal as saying. “I believe that everything is determined from above and we shall never know the reasons why.”

“There have been smarter, stronger and better looking men then 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,” he added.