Someone record this lady’s oral history now…
Mariam Amash, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, recently completed an application to be granted a re-issue of her lost identity card. In it, she cited her year of birth as 1888 — making her 120 years old.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest living person in the world is Edna Parker of the US. Parker is “only” 114 years-old, which makes her much younger than the Israeli super-centenarian who will soon celebrate her 120th birthday. (Ynet)
A resident of the village of Jisr az-Zarka, Amash reportedly has “10 sons, one daughter, about 120 grandchildren, 250 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great grandchildren.” Other than some hearing problems, she appears to be in good health.
“She is a healthy, active woman. She walks each day and makes sure she drinks at least one glass of olive oil,” said Hamda Amash, Mariam Amash’s granddaughter-in-law.” People like to come to her house. She talks to us about the old days. She knows the history since the Turkish times.” (China View)
Though Guinness has yet to confirm her date of birth, Ottoman records state that she is, in fact, 120 years old.
Israel’s Interior Ministry tells the wire service that her birth year is listed as 1888 in its records, based on a certificate issued by the Turkish authorities who ruled the area at the end of the 19th century. “We’re just not sure it’s correct,” spokeswoman Sabine Haddad tells AP. (USA Today)
Still, there’s no way of knowing for sure. “The woman was born during the Ottoman period, a time when the population registry was very inaccurate. It is quite possible that she is younger than reported, or even older,” explains the head of the Interior Ministry branch where Amash completed the application.
[Oh yes... I write for KABOBfest now. Glad to be here!]
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i wonder if she knew sadiqa’s grandpa?
Posted by Ellen | February 15, 2008, 10:05 amShe doesn’t look a day over 110!
Posted by Will | February 15, 2008, 10:39 amalso to sadiqa: if i ever live to be this old and you are still alive, please smother me with a pillow.
Posted by Ellen | February 15, 2008, 10:43 ami’ll use Canadian exit bag on you.
Posted by sadiqa | February 15, 2008, 11:17 amlet’s order two and suffocate ourselves at the same time. last one to go has to hit the other over the head with a blunt object.
btw, good friends like you are hard to come by.
Posted by ellen | February 15, 2008, 11:23 amit’s a deal, Ellen.
Posted by sadiqa | February 15, 2008, 11:25 amWait, this doesn’t seem right.
An Arab woman, in the heart of the Zionist entity! She should be dead, or at the very least, in prison, right?
Not the oldest person on the planet who’s neither dead nor in prison.
This is clearly Zionist propaganda.
Can’t believe you fell for it. Some “activists” you are.
Posted by Anonymous | February 15, 2008, 12:40 pmgoddamn 250 grandkids? this is one demographic time bomb that went BOOOOOM
Posted by Mohammad | February 15, 2008, 1:38 pmIt’s the olive oil I tell ya!
Posted by moi | February 15, 2008, 2:41 pmit is the olive oil. my grandfather was an olive tree farmer. he was 111 when he died.
Posted by sadiqa | February 15, 2008, 3:55 pmSadiqa, wasn’t your grappa killed by an Israeli army assasination squad?
Posted by Fayyad | February 15, 2008, 5:38 pmThat is her secret “She is a healthy, active woman. She walks each day and makes sure she drinks at least one glass of olive oil,” not just any oil it has to be 100% pure Palestinian oil
Posted by Anonymous | February 15, 2008, 7:45 pmNo wonder the Israelis keep sabotaging Palestinian olive trees. Wise bastards.
Posted by Anonymous | February 16, 2008, 1:48 amWelcome to the ‘fest, Buydatti, and mabrouk on your first post! You’ll soon learn that the rudeness of our fellow KABOBers is the established norm.
Posted by QuiQui | February 16, 2008, 8:11 amzionist propoganda. It makes me sick. A story on an old palestinian woman enjoying life while apartheid is going on? People need to focus on the real issues and address the serious problems in the region.
Posted by Anonymous | February 16, 2008, 10:21 amSo that makes her twice as old as the state of israel?
I wonder what she was before she bacame a Palestinian under occupation?
Posted by Fayyad | February 16, 2008, 4:26 pmyou got it foofy! twice as old as Israel and apparently infinitely older than the Palestinian state that was founded in.. oh wait.
I guess we can count Jordan if we want.. or maybe not.
Posted by Anonymous | February 16, 2008, 4:52 pmFor those of you who said you would rather be dead than the age of Mariam Amash, you are being terribly ageist. You did read she was healthy didn’t you and I suspect happy too. You just don’t want to look that old and so you are lookist too. Get over it.
Sharon Raphael
Posted by sharon raphael | February 16, 2008, 6:12 pmOh yes… Welcome to Kfest Buydatti.
Maybe now that Chaim’s dropped out of the race he’ll have time to go and look up Mariam Amash for an exclusive Kabobfest interview. You should give him a ring.
Posted by Emily | February 18, 2008, 4:46 amThe CNN video claims that she has a 54 year old son. This would make he a mother at 66 – something that only happened this decade with modern medicine. It didn’t specify that he was the youngest son either. I’d say she’ll lying about her age by at least two decades.
Posted by Cameron | February 20, 2008, 5:49 pmAs a note: KF cannot be sure she identifies herself as a Palestinian, a note brought to our attention in an email from Martin. Some Bedouin do not see themselves as Palestinians, or even as Bedouin.
Thanks.
Posted by Will | February 28, 2008, 8:53 amWow! Mashallah she is soo old! two fifty grandchildern~amazing!it’s good that palestine has those olive trees cause no wonder why she drinks olive oil and lives healthy!!
Posted by Anonymous | March 31, 2008, 11:49 pm