Ben Helfgott

Dr. Ben Helfgott (born 22 November 1930) was a British weightlifter and Holocaust survivor .

Concentration camps

Born in Lodz, Poland, Helfgott was only 10 years old when the Nazis invaded the country in 1939. Initially sent to Buchenwald, Helfgott survived the Holocaust and was sent to England after the war with 700 other youngsters after being liberated from Theresienstadt. He was the only member of his family to survive; his mother and younger sister were rounded up and shot by the Nazis. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/desertislanddiscs.shtml]

Weightlifting career

Helfgott settled in London. He began lifting weights, and within a decade, was the English champion.

National Champion

He won the nation's 11-stone championship in 1954, and was lightweight champion in 1955, 1956, and 1958.

Olympics

He represented Great Britain at weightlifting in the 1956 Summer Olympics at Melbourne, Australia. He was the captain of the British weightlifting teams at the Olympics in 1956 (Melbourne) and 1960 (Rome).

Commonwealth Games

In addition, he was a bronze medal winner at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Cardiff, south Wales.

Maccabiah Games

Helfgott also won the gold medal in the lightweight class at the 1950, 1953, and 1957 Maccabiah Games.

Other Facts

Helfgott graduated from university with an economics degree, married, had three children, and worked as a clothing manufacturer.

Helfgott helped form the 45 Aid Society for Holocaust Survivors in the U.K., which gives aid to all those in need. He was the Chairman of the Society from 1963-70, and served again beginning in 1970.

Helfgott has also held many other positions, including Chairman of the Yad Vashem Committee of Board of Deputies of British Jews; former Chairman of the Central British Fund-World Jewish Relief; and Member of the Council of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. He also became a campaigner for Holocaust Memorial Day.

In January 2000, Helfgott testified at the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust and said: "Over many years I have worked diligently and constantly to try to educate and teach the lessons of the Holocaust and provide opportunities for remembrance. [...] I have always believed that the Holocaust should be presented in context, both of Jewish History and World History. It must be taught as a consequence of history. It is a consequence of history [...] the climax of a long history of anti-Semitism. [It must be taught] that it was not an isolated instance of regression into barbarism but that it occurred as part of a long history of prejudice, persecution, racial hatred, violence, ignorance and intolerance directed not only against Jews. [...] I have always been against the use of Holocaust testimony to pursue private, political and religious agendas. The slogan "Never again!" has often been abused by various elements especially the political right in Israel. To raise anguish of the victims as a factor of political expediency touches on the obscene."

A biography of Helfgott, called "Ben Helfgott: From Victim to Champion" by Joseph Finklestone, was published in 2000.

He was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 "Desert Island Discs" programme on 1 April 2007.

External links

* [http://www.jewsinsports.org/Olympics.asp?sport=olympics&ID=37 Jews in Sports bio]
* [http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/BenHelfgott.htm Jewish Sports bio]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/desertislanddiscs.shtml BBC "Desert Island Discs" official website]
* [http://www.hmd.org.uk/ Holocaust Memorial Day website]
* [http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=2064/ Report in Australian Jewish News of visit to Australia 50 years after Olympic Games]