Sir Ben Helfgott’s legacy inspires a new generation of weightlifters

Sir Ben represented Team GB at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, and captained the team at the 1960 edition in Rome. He also won a Bronze medal at the 1958 Commonwealth Games.

Domestically, he won the 70kg championship in 1954, and then the lightweight championship in 1955, 1956, and 1958.

And, in the world of Jewish sports, he returned victorious from the Maccabiah Games in the lightweight category in 1950, 1953, and 1957.

Sir Ben Helfgott, poses with his medal after being appointed as a Knight Bachelor (Knighthood) at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London on November 21, 2018, for services to Holocaust Remembrance and Education. (Photo: Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images

Luke Brown, a PE teacher at the school, who organised the event, said that “his journey from the Piotrkrow ghetto, Buchenwald [concentration camp], and Theresienstadt [concentration camp and ghetto] to international sporting success in weightlifting was nothing short of extraordinary”.

Steve Sharp, a coach at British Weightlifting, ran taster sessions and said that “the day was to celebrate a man who came from dark beginnings yet went on to become a beacon of light that will inspire many generations to come”.

Those future generations were able to try their hand, and their muscles, at the sport in the school’s gym hall, with Sir Ben’s grandson Reuben Helfgott, 21, describing the weightlifting technique as “very challenging”.

Steve Sharp (centre) from British Weightlifting (centre) with (from left) Michael Helfgott, Luke Brown, Trevor Avery and Nathan Helfgott (Photo: The Lakes School)[Missing Credit]

Trevor Avery, director of The Lake District Holocaust Project and a friend of Sir Ben for over two decades, said that “the reality of seeing and feeling the weights brought home how extraordinary Ben’s capabilities were”.

Another of Sir Ben’s grandsons, Noah Helfgott, 16, was touched by the interest in his grandfather’s life displayed by the community.

“We talked to some of the kids, who seemed to really enjoy it, and they asked about my grandpa”, he said. “I was amazed at how engaged the local community were with the story of the Boys’ arrival in the area and the legacy they have left.”

Nathan Helfgott, one of Sir Ben’s sons, said his father, who would have turned 96 on the day of the event, would have hugely appreciated the spectacle, as well as Luke and his colleagues’ “commitment to ensure the memory of the group”.

He said: “I imagined how happy he would have been to see the great work they have done and so many new ‘weightlifters’.”

Sir Ben’s other son, Michael Helfgott, shared fond memories of the Lake District, saying that it was “where my father had enjoyed his freedom after the horrors of the Holocaust” and “where he really began his rehabilitation together with fellow survivors who had all been brought to England”.

Sir Ben Helfgott's grandsons Reuben (left) and Noah Helfgott (Photo: the Lakes School)[Missing Credit]

And the school has gone to lengths to enlighten its current cohorts of Sir Ben’s prowess, with Reuben saying that there was “literature all around the gym hall about the Boys’ stories, including my grandfather, of whom there were many photos of his time as an Olympic weightlifter”.

One attendee was Angie Cohen MBE, chair of The 45 Aid Society, and daughter of Holocaust survivor Moishe Malenicky, who was lifelong friends with Sir Ben. During the Holocaust, the two were imprisoned together in Schlieben labour camp in Germany.

On the day, Angie said: “Standing at The Lake School all these years later, surrounded by young people so full of life and promise, I felt an overwhelming sense of connection. The laughter, the learning, the warmth of this community – it all stands as a living tribute to those young survivors who once walked the same paths, trying to rebuild their shattered lives”.

During his later life, Sir Ben’s efforts towards Holocaust education were successful on both a national level, as his campaign to necessitate study of the Holocaust in English schools prevailed, and on a personal one, as he became a de facto leader of the Boys.

Nathan Helfgott, son of Sir Ben Helfgott (Photo: the Lakes School)[Missing Credit]

One of his fellow survivors, Harry Spiro, once said: “We never needed counselling –  we had the ’45 group, and we had Ben.” Another peer, Solly Irving, told the Centre for Holocaust Education that he would never have been able to tell his stories without Sir Ben’s encouragement.

On the topic of outreach, Ken Pickering, head of humanities at the Lakes School said the day was “vital in demystifying a community they [the students] would normally only very rarely encounter beyond their RE and history lessons”.

Sir Ben is one of only two Jewish athletes known to have competed in the Olympics after surviving the Holocaust, alongside Alfred Nakache, a French swimmer who survived Auschwitz. He competed pre-war at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and post-war at the 1948 version in London.

Michael Helfgott, son of Sir Ben Helfgott (Photo: The Lakes School)[Missing Credit]

Nakache broke the world record for the 200m in the butterfly stroke in 1941, and held other global, continental, and national titles throughout an accomplished career. He too took a medal at the Maccabiah Games, a silver in the 100m freestyle in 1935.

“Seeing so many people of all ages lifting, learning, and supporting one another felt like a fitting tribute to a man who continued to inspire long after his sporting career ended”, said Luke about the day, sharing his hopes that Sir Ben’s legacy would be spread for many years to come.