Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we’re sharing the extraordinary story of Holocaust Survivor, Sir Ben Helfgott.
Having worked with the Holocaust Educational Trust over many years, we’ve had the privilege of meeting Ben and many other remarkable Survivors who share their story with young people in the hope that the lessons of the Holocaust will never be forgotten. Please take two minutes out of your day to read Ben’s story and remember why those lessons are still so relevant today…
Ben was born in Piotrków, Poland and was 9-years-old at the outbreak of the Second World War. Soon after the German occupation of Poland, Ben’s family had to move into the ghetto in his hometown, the first to be established by the Nazis. Living conditions in the ghetto were terrible with families living in overcrowded, unhygienic conditions.
In August 1942, Ben’s father secured him a job at a local factory outside of the ghetto. One evening, Ben returned from work to discover the ghetto had been sealed and people rounded up. In one week, almost 22,000 of the 24,000 Jewish inhabitants of the ghetto were deported to Treblinka death camp, including Ben’s grandfather.
After the deportations, only Jews with work passes were permitted to remain in the ghetto. Ben’s mother and two sisters did not have work permits and had to remain in hiding. The Nazis announced that they knew that Jews were hiding illegally in the ghetto and declared an amnesty for those who came forward. Ben’s mother and youngest sister, Luisa, were among the 520 Jews who voluntarily came out of hiding. All who came forward were taken to the woods and shot.
In August 1944, the ghetto was liquidated. Ben and his father were sent to Buchenwald concentration camp, while his sister Mala was deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp. After two weeks at Buchenwald, Ben was separated from his father and sent to Schlieben camp and then Terezín in Czechoslovakia. Three weeks after arriving at Terezín, Ben was liberated by Russian troops. He later learnt that his father had been shot a few days before the end of the war as he made a bid to escape from a death march.
After liberation, Ben came to the UK with a group of child survivors known as ‘The Boys’ and in 1947, he was reunited with his sister, Mala.
In 1948, Ben began weightlifting and went on to captain the British weightlifting team in two Olympics and one Commonwealth Games.
Ben has dedicated his life to fighting injustice and intolerance, and thousands of young people across the UK have heard his testimony and pledged to continue the fight with him.
A loving family man, an Olympian and a Holocaust Survivor. Ben’s story is an inspiration to us all.
Learn more at www.hmd.org.uk
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