senior lifestyle
On Her 100th Birthday, This Holocaust
Survivor Threw Out the First Pitch
Max Baker | JTA.org
S She may not have the same
velocity on her fastball as an
MLB pitcher, but Helen Kahan
still had plenty to be proud of as she
threw out the ceremonial first pitch
before the Tampa Bay Rays and New
York Yankees took the field on May 5
— her 100th birthday.

Kahan stood confidently on the
Tropicana Field pitcher’s mound with
her daughter and son by her side.

It didn’t matter that the throw only
made it halfway to home plate. The
crowd of more than 25,000 gave her a
standing ovation as Rays relief pitcher
Kevin Kelly, who caught the pitch,
congratulated her with a smile and a
handshake. Kahan, of Seminole, Florida, who
survived multiple Nazi concentration
camps, was triumphant.

“I never could have imagined
celebrating a birthday like this, let
alone my 100th!” Kahan said. “I’m so
grateful that I am here to tell my story
and help the world remember why
kindness and empathy are so import-
ant for us all.”
Born in 1923 in Romania, Kahan was
forced into a ghetto as a young adult
before being deported to Auschwitz-
Birkenau, then Bergen-Belsen and
Lippstadt. As the end of the war
approached, she escaped from a death
march before the camp was liberated
by the Soviet army in May 1945. In
1967, Kahan fulfilled a lifelong dream
when she and her family immigrated to
the United States.

Bally Sports Sun, the Rays broad-
caster, featured an in-game segment
on her inspiring story.

“They heard how I lived … that I have
a number from Auschwitz,” Kahan said,
pointing to the Nazi tattoo on her arm
that reads 7504.

Many of Kahan’s family members
— two children, five grandchildren
and 12 great-grandchildren — were
at Tropicana Field to witness the big
moment. “It was very nice,” Kahan said.

“Everybody celebrated; everybody
made it bigger than me.”
She said the experience was special
because she never got to play sports
when growing up, explaining, “I always
had to make a penny in the family.”
To prepare, Kahan watched her
grandsons and great-grandsons play
catch so she could get the pitching
motion in her head.

Afterward, Kahan received lots of
media attention, including segments on
the local news and social media posts
from global outlets, including ESPN.

Kahan said she relished the
experience and was grateful for the
opportunity. “I love it … I came from a Hitler camp
that did not give me anything but
numbers,” Kahan said, pointing at her
tattooed arm once again.

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Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays via JTA.org
senior lifestyle
Kahan’s daughter, Livia Wein, said that
watching her mother throw out the pitch
was one of the best things she has ever
experienced. “It was probably the coolest thing for our
entire family,” Wein said. “Having a lot of
our friends in the stands also made it very
special.” Kahan and Wein are both avid Rays fans;
however, Kahan prefers to keep her favorite
player a secret. She said it was a pleasure
to meet several of the players and coaches
before the game.

In addition to honoring Kahan, the Rays
announced a $10,000 partnership grant
with the Florida Holocaust Museum during
the pregame festivities. Kahan has been
a longtime volunteer educator at the St.

Petersburg museum.

Whether it was Kahan’s charisma and coura-
geous spirit or simply great defense and
timely hitting, the Rays defeated their rival
Yankees by a final score of 5-4. ■
A version of this story originally appeared in
the Jewish Press of Tampa Bay.

Helen Kahan and her family at the Tampa Bay Rays game on May 5
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