Hebrew Home of Greater Washington Turns 100, Some Residents Just As Old

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Larry Berman looks decades younger than his real age, which is 100. People constantly ask him the secret for his longevity. Partly, Berman explains with a smile, it's luck.

"I've had fairly good health all the way. And I just try to get along with people. And, that's the story," said Berman.

Luck, and, a dash of moderation.

"As far as alcohol is concerned," said Berman. "I'll have a sip of wine once in a while. Especially on Friday night."

Berman was born in 1910. That is the same year the Jewish community in Washington, D.C. established a charity to care for its handful of destitute and elderly members.

That charity, which collected nickels and dimes back in 1910, has evolved into the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington . Berman and more than 20 other century-old (and nearly century-old) residents now live there.

When they were born, William Howard Taft was the President of the United States, and 17 other Presidents have held the office since.

99-year old Oscar Hoffman lived through World War I and World War II. Hoffman's memory is not what it was and he knows it. When a reporter asked him about World War I, Hoffman replied with a twinkle, "I can't remember World War II!"

Teenagers often volunteer to help the very elderly residents of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington. When they ask 99-year old Sidney Spevak the secret for a long life, he answers, "Try to take care of yourself, be a good person and enjoy life."

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Hebrew Home of Greater Washington