Ben Helfgott

Ben Helfgott
Helfgott in 2021
Personal information
NationalityBritish/Polish
Born(1929-11-22)22 November 1929
Piotrków Trybunalski, Łódz Voivodeship, Poland
Died16 June 2023(2023-06-16) (aged 93)
London, England
Height165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight67 kg (148 lb)
Sport
CountryGreat Britain
SportWeightlifting
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Weightlifting
Maccabiah Games
Gold medal – first place 1950 Israel Lightweight
Gold medal – first place 1953 Israel Lightweight
Gold medal – first place 1957 Israel Lightweight
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 1958 Cardiff Lightweight

Sir Benjamin "Ben" Helfgott MBE (22 November 1929 – 16 June 2023) was a Polish-born British Holocaust survivor, Olympian and champion weightlifter.[1] He was one of two Jewish athletes known to have competed in the Olympics after surviving the Holocaust, along with Alfred Nakache, a French champion swimmer and water polo player.[2] Helfgott spent his adult life promoting Holocaust education, meeting with national leaders in the UK to promote cultural integration and peace.[3]

  1. ^ Remembering the living dead: 40 years since the Munich murder
  2. ^ Steve Lipman (13 August 2004). "The Olympics and The Holocaust". Jewish Federations of North America. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013.
  3. ^ Pollock, Karen. "Ben Helfgott knighted in Queen's Birthday Honours". Holocaust Educational Trust. Retrieved 2 October 2020.