Council Member Sandra Ung honored longtime Flushing resident and Holocaust survivor Hanna Slome with a New York City Council proclamation on Sunday, April 6, in recognition of her 100th birthday and a life defined by resilience, service, and community.
Ung visited Slome’s home on Parsons Boulevard, where she has lived since 1958, to deliver the proclamation and meet members of her family, many of whom traveled from across the country and abroad to celebrate the milestone.
“Hanna Slome’s life is an incredible testament to perseverance and the power of kindness,” Ung said. “She embodies the very best of our community, and I am proud that she continues to call Flushing home.”
Slome, born in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia in 1925, was one of 669 Jewish children rescued from Nazi-occupied Europe by Sir Nicholas Winton’s Kindertransport mission, which brought them to safety in the United Kingdom just before the outbreak of World War II. After several years in England, she made her way to the United States in 1944—traveling alone on a torpedo-threatened tanker ship—and built a new life in New York.
Her son, Jesse Slome, reflected on the gravity of the moment and the remarkable arc of his mother’s life.
“Very few of us will ever make it to 100 years old, and if you do, how wonderful to be honored and treated among family and friends—people you’ve had an impact on,” he said. “This occasion is going to be the first time that many of our extended family members will meet face to face. That’s what this day is really about—family and survival.”
Slome married her late husband, Henry, in 1948. Together, they raised two children, Jesse and Judy. Today, she is a grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of ten, including a three-month-old baby who joined the celebration.
Her legacy is rooted not only in survival but in civic engagement. She served as PTA president at JHS 185, led walking and hiking tours across the borough, and was an active member of New York City’s folk dancing and volunteer communities. She continues to press flowers to make greeting cards that are donated to local nonprofits.
Council Member Ung, who represents District 20—which includes Flushing, Murray Hill, Queensboro Hill, Mitchell-Linden, and parts of Fresh Meadows—said meeting Slome was a deeply personal experience.
“This is my first time meeting Ms. Slome, and I was just amazed at how youthful she is,” Ung said. “Her story reminded me a bit of my own family’s journey. My mother, who is now 80, escaped the genocide in Cambodia, and we ended up in Flushing as well. It’s remarkable how people from such different backgrounds can share similar stories of survival and rebuilding.”
Despite unimaginable loss—Slome’s mother was murdered in a concentration camp, and both her father and brother died by suicide in the years following the war—she built a life centered on love, stability, and community.
“She’s unbelievably resilient,” Jesse Slome said. “This morning, on her 100th birthday, I found her upstairs on her exercise bicycle doing her 15-minute workout. That’s who she is.”
Slome’s home, purchased for $29,000 in 1958, has remained a constant through decades of transformation in Flushing. Jesse recalled Union Street’s old cobblestones and trolley tracks, marveling at the neighborhood’s evolution and diversity.
“You don’t have to travel overseas,” he joked. “You can get better food right here.”
Hanna Slome’s life—marked by war, migration, perseverance, and purpose—continues to inspire generations in Queens and beyond.
“She survived, made do with what she had, and was happy with it,” Jesse said. “She didn’t just live—she lived well.”
In addition to the New York City Council proclamation presented by Council Member Ung, State Senator John Liu and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng also honored Slome during her 100th birthday celebration, issuing official proclamations recognizing her extraordinary life and contributions to the Flushing community and beyond.
“From a train station in Czechoslovakia to the tree-lined streets of Queens, Hanna’s incredible life and legacy embodies the spirit and resilience of Flushing and all those who have overcome adversity,” Senator Liu said. “On her 100th birthday, surrounded by family and friends, we celebrate a life well-lived and say thank you for inspiring us with her resilience and generosity.”
“I am proud to commend and recognize Hanna for a century of courage, service and inspiration,” Congresswoman Meng added. “Her message of resilience and hope continues to inspire generations and will do so for many years to come. It is an honor and privilege to wish her a very happy 100th birthday and I send her my warmest congratulations.”
Slome, reflecting on the milestone, said, “I have been so fortunate to have been able to come to live in the United States and make Flushing my home. What a wonderful and diverse neighborhood that is always changing. It’s such an exciting place and I’ve met so many wonderful people while planting and tending to my garden on Parsons Boulevard. How blessed I am that so many people came to celebrate with me.”
Her son Jesse also emphasized the significance of her journey and enduring strength: “My mother, like so many, has experienced difficulties in her life. It is her resilience that carries her through and serves as a life lesson that I share with my children and grandchildren. I can’t think of any place other than New York where she could have lived a better life, and she makes it a point that she’s never leaving Flushing.”
