From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 5, 2023
World’s oldest active journalist Walter Bingham turns 99 in Jerusalem
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Walter Bingham, said to be the world’s oldest active journalist, celebrates his 99th birthday in Jerusalem.
“When I meet someone who’s 30, I feel 30,” he tells The Times of Israel from his apartment. “When I meet someone who’s 18, I feel 18. When I meet someone who’s 50, I feel 40.”
Growing up as Wolfgang Billig in Karlsruhe, Germany, Bingham witnessed the rise of the Nazi party as a teenager, before fleeing to England on the Kindertransport. His father died in the Warsaw Ghetto. His mother survived, eventually joining him in England.
Bingham would go on to become a journalist, a pilot, and an actor, appearing in two Harry Potter films.
He made Aliyah in 2004 at the age of 80, and began hosting two radio shows in addition to writing opinion columns. Bingham has become a fixture of the media scene in Israel, instantly recognizable by his signature blue cap.
Bingham has a message for young people: “Don’t be jack of all trades and a master of none. Stick to something, and go to the end.”
