Haifa Resident Celebrates 105th Birthday, Honored by Mayor
Esther Neuwirth, a resident of Haifa, celebrated her 105th birthday surrounded by her family, including her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav visited her at the Elisheva Towers residence to offer birthday wishes.
Neuwirth was born on September 2, 1921, in Elbing, Germany. Her father was the rabbi of the liberal Jewish community there. She experienced the rise of Nazism in Germany during her childhood. At 16, she joined the "Blau-Weiss" (Blue-White) Jewish youth movement, which prepared young people for immigration to Mandatory Palestine. She arrived in the country on October 31, 1938, as part of Youth Aliyah.
After settling in Mandatory Palestine, Neuwirth worked in agriculture and later as a seamstress in Tel Aviv for about 40 years to support her parents after they also immigrated. She married Yossef Neuwirth, who had immigrated from Austria, on October 31, 1948, during the Israeli War of Independence. They had two sons, Rafi and Mickey, the latter of whom passed away about a year ago.
Upon retiring at age 60, Neuwirth embarked on a new chapter as a sculptor. Over two decades, she created nearly 100 sculptures focusing on themes of the human spirit, love, and compassion. About ten of these works are currently displayed in the lobby of Elisheva Towers, where she moved after her husband's death in 2007. She is now a grandmother to six and a great-grandmother to twelve.
Mayor Yahav remarked, "105 years is not just an age, it is a whole life story. Esther is a woman who has gone through periods that are chapters in the history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and built a life here of work, family, creativity, and love." Her son, Rafi Neve, added, "Mom is a story of strength, diligence, and love for us. She worked her whole life, cared for her family and the parent generation, gave us a world of values and inspiration, and at an age when others retire, she discovered a new world and made sculpture a central part of her life."
