Holocaust survivor Sir Ben Helfgott has won a Pride of Britain Award at the annual televised event in honour of his “quiet determination to ensure that the unspeakable wickedness and evil” of the Shoah is never forgotten.
The 90 year-old survivor and British Olympic weightlifting team captain was handed his award by Stephen Fry in a presentation filmed at the Holocaust Memorial in Hyde Park after the Daily Mirror promoted event was forced to scrap its usual glittering dinner ceremony because of the pandemic.
“You shouldn’t have to be Jewish or to have a relatives who perished in the Holocaust yourself to be stunned by characters like Ben Helfgott, though of course it does add an extra element of admiration and appreciation,” said author and television presenter Mr Fry.
“His actions speak for all humanity however. His quiet determination to ensure that the unspeakable wickedness and evil of what happened has been inspirational. Against indifference, denial and doubt he has raised a literal and figurative memorial wall that honours the victims and helps push back against the possibility that such horrors might be allowed to happen again.”
