Latest news with #Terens
News18
12 hours ago
- General
- News18
At 102, This WWII Veteran Is Finally Having His Bar Mitzvah. What Is It And Why Now?
Last Updated: Set to celebrate his birthday next month, World War II stalwart Harold Terens is planning his Bar Mitzvah ceremony next year. A 102-year-old World War II veteran is looking forward to celebrating his birthday, while also planning to undergo the Bar Mitzvah ceremony at the Pentagon for the first time in his life. According to Jewish culture, the Bar Mitzvah refers to a coming-of-age ceremony for boys at the age of 13, which marks their transition to adulthood and also their obligation to follow the Jewish commandments. However, Harold Terens, who will be celebrating his 102nd birthday amid family and friends in Florida on August 6, said he never underwent the Jewish ceremony in his childhood, even as his brother took part in the Bar Mitzvah. The WWII stalwart believes it is never too late for him to fulfil his wish to go through the transition, and he is planning for the ceremony next year at the Pentagon outside Washington. 'I mentioned that I would like to be bar mitzvahed at 103, and he's the rabbi of the Pentagon, so that's my next bucket list. I am going to be bar mitzvahed in the Pentagon," he added. As per Terens' account of WWII contribution, the veteran official played an influential role, helping repair planes returning from France so that they could rejoin the battle. Twelve days after D-Day, Terens went to France and brought the Germans and American prisoners of war back to England. In June 2024, the war veteran was honoured by the French government at the 80th anniversary of the country's liberation from the cruel Nazis under their inhumane leader Adolf Hitler. Apart from his war credentials and reward, Terens also hit the news for marrying 97-year-old Jeanne Swerlin last year. 'I thought my wedding in Normandy last year was the highlight of my life," he said, adding, 'Number one of all the moments of my life. You know, that's the saying, that life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 09:52 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
WWII vet who married at 100 in Normandy, plans Bar Mitzvah at 103 at the Pentagon; still chasing dreams 81 years after D-Day
Harold Terens , a 102-year-old World War II veteran from Florida, is preparing to celebrate his bar mitzvah at the Pentagon next year, a Jewish rite of passage he was denied as a child. The announcement came shortly after he marked his 102nd birthday surrounded by family and friends in Delray Beach. Harold Terens enlisted in the US Army Air Forces in 1942 and served as a radio repair technician for a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter squadron. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Healthcare Technology Design Thinking CXO Project Management Data Science Artificial Intelligence Data Analytics Degree healthcare Others Cybersecurity PGDM Management MCA Data Science Operations Management Digital Marketing Public Policy others Finance Product Management MBA Leadership Skills you'll gain: Financial Analysis in Healthcare Financial Management & Investing Strategic Management in Healthcare Process Design & Analysis Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Certificate Program in Healthcare Management Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details On D-Day in 1944, he helped repair planes returning from France and later assisted in transporting freed prisoners of war from Normandy to England. In June 2024, he was honored by the French government during the 80th anniversary of the country's liberation from Nazi occupation. Bar Mitzvah at 103 Terens plans to hold the bar mitzvah ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., when he turns 103 next summer. Live Events Born to a religious mother from Poland and an anti-religious father from Russia, he was the second of two sons. His older brother was bar mitzvahed; Terens was not, due to a compromise between his parents. He shared this lifelong wish during a public event, where it was overheard by the rabbi of the Pentagon. The ceremony is now in the works, with around 80 friends and family members already on the guest list. As reported by the Associated Press, Terens said, 'That's my next bucket list. I am going to be bar mitzvahed in the Pentagon.' From D-Day to Normandy wedding In addition to his military service, Terens made headlines in 2024 when he returned to Normandy to marry his partner Jeanne Swerlin, then 96. The couple, both originally from New York, wed in Carentan-les-Marais, near the D-Day landing beaches. After the ceremony, they attended a state dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and former US President Joe Biden at the Élysée Palace. Terens, who has met five US presidents during his lifetime, attributes his longevity to keeping stress low and finding joy in life. 'I think I'm the richest guy in the world and I don't have any money in the bank,' he told The New York Post, adding, 'The best is yet to come.'
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
102-year-old WWII veteran to have first bar mitzvah at the Pentagon at 103: ‘My next bucket list'
A 102-year-old World War II veteran is celebrating his birthday with family, but that is not the only milestone he is looking forward to. Harold Terens, who turned 102 with family and friends in Florida, said that while his brother got the traditional Jewish ceremony marking the beginning of adulthood, the bar mitzvah, when they were kids living in New York, he did not. Harold Terens, a World War II veteran who fought in D-Day, celebrated his 102 birthday party on Saturday,(AP) 'My mother came from Poland. My father came from Russia. And my mother was a religious Jew. And my father was anti-religious. So they had two sons. And one son, they compromised. One son got bar mitzvahed, the other son didn't," he told Associated Press. However, the war veteran has claimed that he, too, will fulfill his wish for the ceremony early next year at the Pentagon outside Washington. His dream came true after a rabbi heard his wish while he was appearing on TV for a news panel. "I mentioned that I would like to be bar mitzvahed at 103, and he's the rabbi of the Pentagon, so that's my next bucket list. I am going to be bar mitzvahed in the Pentagon,' he added. Terens, who officially turns 102 on August 6, helped repair planes returning from France on D-Day so they could rejoin the battle. The veteran went to France 12 days later to help bring captured Germans and American prisoners of war back to England. He was honoured in June 2024 by France during the 80th anniversary celebration of their country's liberation from the Nazis. The veteran also made news for marrying Jeanne Swerlin, 97, last year. 'I thought my wedding in Normandy last year was the highlight of my life. Number one of all the moments of my life. You know, that's the saying, that life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away," he said. Terens has cheated death many times after surviving World War ll. He was part of a secret mission in Iran and once barely escaped a German rocket after leaving a London pub. He claimed his life has been"one huge fairy tale" and intends to live his life to the fullest. "I think if you can learn how to minimise stress, you'll go a long way. You'll add at least 10 years to your life. So that is number one. And 90% is luck,' he said, sharing his secret to a long, happy life. (With inputs from AP)
2 days ago
- General
At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Harold Terens fought in World War II. He's lived almost 102 years, celebrating his birthday a couple weeks early with family and friends in Florida. But he has something more to look forward to. His bar mitzvah. Terens said at his birthday celebration Saturday that his brother got the traditional Jewish ceremony marking the beginning of adulthood when they were kids living in New York, but he did not. 'My mother came from Poland. My father came from Russia. And my mother was a religious Jew. And my father was anti-religious. So they had two sons. And one son, they compromised. One son got bar mitzvahed, the other son didn't," he said. Early next year, Terens said he will finally enjoy that ceremony. At the Pentagon outside Washington, no less. Terens said that came about when he was talking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on a TV panel and a rabbi overheard the conversation. "I mentioned that I would like to be bar mitzvahed at 103 and he's the rabbi of the Pentagon so that's my next bucket list. I am going to be bar mitzvahed in the Pentagon,' Terens said. Terens turns 102 on Aug. 6. So Saturday's party was a little early. On D-Day — June 6, 1944 — Terens helped repair planes returning from France so they could rejoin the battle. He said half his company's pilots died that day. Terens went to France 12 days later, helping transport freshly captured Germans and just-freed American POWs back to England. Terens was honored in June 2024 by the French as part of the 80th anniversary celebration of their country's liberation from the Nazis. But that isn't all that happened on those Normandy beaches. He married Jeanne Swerlin, now 97. 'I thought my wedding in Normandy last year was the highlight of my life. Number one of all the moments of my life. You know, that's the saying, that life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away," Terens said. He survived World War ll, was involved in a secret mission in Iran, another time barely escaping a German rocket after leaving a London pub just before it was destroyed. "My life has been one huge fairy tale, especially with this new wife that I have. Who I love deeply and who I am going to spend the rest of my life till death do us part, as the mayor had us say in Normandy,' Terens said. After the German surrender in 1945, Terens helped transport freed Allied prisoners to England before he shipped back to the U.S. a month later. He married his wife Thelma in 1948 and they had two daughters and a son. He became a U.S. vice president for a British conglomerate. They moved from New York to Florida in 2006 after Thelma retired as a French teacher; she died in 2018 after 70 years of marriage. He has eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Terens gets asked a lot about his secret to longevity. "I think if you can learn how to minimize stress, you'll go a long way. You'll add at least 10 years to your life. So that is number one. And 90% is luck,' he said.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
WWII vet marks 102nd birthday and plans for his long-awaited bar mitzvah: ‘The best is yet to come'
A World War II veteran rang in his 102nd birthday surrounded by loved ones in Florida — but said 'the best is yet to come' as he sets out to cross off his bucket-list goals, including a long-awaited bar mitzvah. New York City native Harold Terens was overcome with love and gratitude Saturday morning as he celebrated another year of life with dozens of friends and family, among them his second wife, three children, eight grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren, at a hotel in Delray Beach. 'Best day of my life, believe it or not, and I've had so many,' Terens told The Post, adding he felt his beloved first wife, Thelma, with whom he was married for 70 years, was there in spirit. Advertisement 6 WWII veteran Harold Terens celebrated his 102nd birthday with family and friends Saturday. AP 'I thought my wedding last year in Normandy was the best day of my life, but I think today topped it. And believe me, the best is yet to come. You ain't seen nothing yet.' While the centenarian spent his birthday brunch mambo dancing with his 97-year-old sweetheart, Jeanne, and being serenaded by his a cappella-singing granddaughter, he is already looking ahead to how he'll make the most of his milestone year. Advertisement 6 Terens said it was the best day of his life. AP Some of those bucket list items include a 10-day transatlantic trip, where the 'ballet buff' plans to take in the opera in Milan, catch a ballet in Paris, and head to the United Kingdom to hear the London Philharmonic. The lively senior then intends to mark his 103rd birthday with a bar mitzvah ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, next summer – a major achievement he was denied as a child. 'My mother is from Poland and my father is from Russia,' he said. Advertisement 6 He's now looking to the future, where he will celebrate his bar mitzvah at the age of 103. AP 'My mother was religious. My father was anti-religion, and they had two sons and they agreed that my older brother would be bar mitzvahed and then I would not, [to] pacify my father.' Next year's momentous occasion took shape after Terens was speaking on a panel with CNN's Wolf Blitzer and a Pentagon rabbi overheard him mention his lifelong wish to have a bar mitzvah. 'That is definitely on my bucket list and that is truly going to happen,' he joyfully said, noting that 80 of his closest friends and family members have already been added to the guest list. Advertisement 6 Telens and his second wife, Jeanne, who he wed in Normandy last June. AP 'It will be a sensational event. My entire family will be there along with friends. They'll all come. No one will miss that event.' Terens enlisted in 1942 and was sent to Great Britain the following year, serving as a radio repair technician for a four-pilot P-47 Thunderbolt fighter squadron. All his original pilots died in the war. On D-Day — where more than 150,000 Allied troops invaded five Nazi Germany-occluded beaches in Normandy on June 6, 1944 — he aided in repairing planes coming back from France, with half his company's pilots perishing that day. He has since returned to the fateful spot several times, including in 2024 when he was honored by the French for his service, to mark pivotal anniversaries and to wed his new love. 6 Terens enlisted in 1942 and aided in repairing planes on D-Day. AFP via Getty Images 'It's very emotional every time I go,' said Terens, who plans to return for the 82nd anniversary. 'I have friends there that I long to see and that gives me a great deal of pleasure. But going with the veterans is very, very special. I've had some very memorable moments in Normandy.' Advertisement Terens, who has met five US presidents, including George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, said the secret to his longevity and drive is simple: minimize stress. 6 He plans to return to Normandy for the 82nd anniversary of the historic day of liberation. AFP via Getty Images But reflecting on his long life, the Lake Worth resident considers himself the luckiest man alive. Advertisement 'I think I'm the richest guy in the world and I don't have any money in the bank,' Terens boasted. 'I wouldn't trade my life with anyone in the world no matter who it was. I am happy just who I am and with what I have. I think I have more than anyone else in the world. I am the luckiest guy that God ever created. When I say the best is yet to come, I don't know what it is but it's there. I promise you.'
