Shlomo Sulayman, Israel's oldest man, passed away on Sunday at the age of 117, Ynet reported.
His grandson Gil Radia said that Sulayman stayed sharp into old age and that he was a generally healthy and active person – Sulayman even lived alone until the end – but it was the solitude that the coronavirus pandemic brought with it that caused the end of his grandfather's life.
Sulayman's wife passed away several years ago at the age of 94, and he has since lived alone. Since the coronavirus outbreak, he has been confined to his home.
"It did him harm," Radia said.
According to his grandson, Sulayman would go to synagogue everyday, even at the age of 116, however following the virus outbreak, Radia attributes the isolation to the deterioration of his grandfather's health.
Radia said that his grandfather's "mind was clear until the last moment," and that he was known as a scholar of Jewish scripture in addition to going to synagogue every day. These actions led to people coming to him for sage advice on the religion. They would do "exactly as he told them after he looked over the texts."
His grandson Gil Radia attributed Sulayman's longevity to being physically active and not eating much.
"He would eat small portions," Radia said. "In the morning a piece of bread with cream cheese; for lunch either chicken, fish or and egg with rice; and in the evening a salad with an egg."
Sulyman immigrated to Israel in 1949 with his wife and four children. He lived with his family in Netanya, and after serving in the IDF, worked in agriculture, according to Ynet.
Sulayman died with his family by his side and is survived by his six children and dozens of grandkids, great and even great-great grand kids. According to Ynet, Sulayman was born in 1903, making him not only the oldest person in Israel, but the oldest in the world.