Holocaust Survivor and Wife Surprised With Anniversary Party to Celebrate 69 Years of Marriage

Mar. 15, 2025

Pictured: Holocaust survivor Fred Zeilberger and his wife Elaine Zeilberger.Photo:CBS New York/YouTube

CBS New York/YouTube

A Holocaust survivor is celebrating his latest wedding milestone in style!

The Bristal Assisted Living in North Woodmere, New Yorkshared on social mediaon Wednesday, March 5, that it threw a “surprise party” for Fred Zeilberger, 95, and his wife Elaine Zeilberger, 89, to celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary.

The assisted living facility shared photos of the couple doing some ballroom dancing at their celebration and holding hands as they reminisced about their longtime relationship. They also shared pictures of the couple over the years, which were framed in several photos.

“The secret to their long and happy marriage? Fred keeps it simple: ‘We get along.’ Elaine, however, added with a smile, ‘I always say yes to him!,’ ” the assisted living facility wrote.

Fred had several difficult years before he met the love of his life. He toldKEYC Newsthat he had lived in Wurzburg, Germany, where his father, who worked as a tailor, was forced to make “SS uniforms.” He noted that he had been just 9 years old when he was sent to live in a concentration camp, and had moved through five different ones.

“[There were] extermination camps, not even a concentration camp, where very few people survived, and I’m one of them,” he told the outlet.

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He eventually found his way to America as a “war orphan” coming through Ellis Island before being drafted in the U.S. Army in 1951. It wasn’t until after the Korean War ended in 1953 that he finally met Elaine. He said that a friend’s mother had asked him if he had a girlfriend and when he had said no, she gave him the phone numbers of two girls.

“She gave me Elaine’s number. The other one I never called,” he recalled to KEYC News, before jokingly adding, “And I’m stuck.” Elaine responded with a laugh.

The couple shared with the outlet that their first date consisted of driving to the Copacabana in a pink convertible. The pair instantly clicked and they got married at the Empire Hotel in New York City.

“We play tennis and golf and lived a good life, and this country’s been very good to me,” Fred shared with KEYC News.

source: people.com