Ben Helfgott
Encyclopedia
Ben Helfgott is a British
Holocaust survivor and former champion weightlifter.
He was a guest on the BBC Radio 4
Desert Island Discs
programme on 1 April 2007. He chose to be stranded with a copy of Bertrand Russell
's History of Western Philosophy and a bar with two discs for weight training.
Helfgott was one of the individuals included by the London Jewish Museum in 2010 for an exhibit in which five British Jews recounted their experiences on video, representing what David Aaronovitch
described in The Times
as describing the "different ways of being Jewish".
, Lodz, Poland, Helfgott was only 10 years old when the Nazis invaded the country in 1939. In 1942 with the help of Mr Janota he convinced the Nazis that he was Polish and not a Jew. He was eventually sent to a concentration camp, but in 1945 he was released, but he was understandably weak. 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 and one of his sisters were the only members of his family to survive; his mother and youngest sister were rounded up and shot by the Nazis. when in England he set up a Jewish youth club
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).
winner at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
held in Cardiff
, south Wales
.
in the lightweight class at the 1950, 1953, and 1957 Maccabiah Games
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Holocaust survivor and former champion weightlifter.
He was a guest on the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
programme on 1 April 2007. He chose to be stranded with a copy of Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
's History of Western Philosophy and a bar with two discs for weight training.
Helfgott was one of the individuals included by the London Jewish Museum in 2010 for an exhibit in which five British Jews recounted their experiences on video, representing what David Aaronovitch
David Aaronovitch
David Aaronovitch is a British author, broadcaster, and journalist. He is a regular columnist for The Times, and author of Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country and Voodoo Histories: the role of Conspiracy Theory in Modern History...
described in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as describing the "different ways of being Jewish".
Concentration camps
Born in PabianicePabianice
Pabianice is a town in central Poland with 69 648 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the capital of Pabianice County...
, Lodz, Poland, Helfgott was only 10 years old when the Nazis invaded the country in 1939. In 1942 with the help of Mr Janota he convinced the Nazis that he was Polish and not a Jew. He was eventually sent to a concentration camp, but in 1945 he was released, but he was understandably weak. 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 and one of his sisters were the only members of his family to survive; his mother and youngest sister were rounded up and shot by the Nazis. when in England he set up a Jewish youth club
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 BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
at weightlifting in the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
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 medalBronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
winner at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff, capital of Wales from 18–26 July 1958.Thirty-five nations sent a total of 1,130 athletes and 228 officials to the Cardiff Games and 23 countries and dependencies won medals, including, for the first time, Singapore, Ghana, Kenya...
held in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Maccabiah Games
Helfgott also won the gold medalGold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the lightweight class at the 1950, 1953, and 1957 Maccabiah Games
Maccabiah Games
The Maccabiah is an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics held in Israel every four years under the auspices of the Maccabi Federation, affiliated with the Maccabi World Union. The Maccabiah Games is the third largest international sports competition in the world...
.