Memorial ceremony for Margot Friedländer: A life dedicated to remembrance

Memorial ceremony for Margot Friedländer: A life dedicated to remembrance

On July 9, 2025, a touching memorial service for Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer took place in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. The event, organized by the Margot Friedländer Foundation, founded by Friedländer himself, attracted numerous companions, friends and winners of the Margot Friedländer Prize. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier gave a moving memorial speech in which he described Friedländer's fate as "monstrous and incomprehensible" and praised her contributions to the culture of remembrance. He emphasized that it is necessary to fight for tolerance, democracy and humanity and recalled Friedländer's legacy.

The 103-year-old died on May 9, 2025 in Berlin, and her life was marked by unimaginable suffering and tireless efforts to prevent forgetting. She was one of the best-known contemporary witnesses to the Nazi persecution of Jews and was the only one in her family to survive the Shoah, while her parents and brother were murdered by the Nazis. After her deportation to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1944, she emigrated to the USA after the Second World War. However, at the age of 88, she returned to Berlin to tell her story in schools and other institutions, always warning against anti-Semitism and right-wing extremism.

A testimony to humanity

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) also gave a greeting at the memorial event. Hèdi Bouden, the winner of the Margot Friedländer Personality Prize 2024, described Friedländer's great importance for society and Germany's cultural heritage. The broadcast of the celebration live on rbb enabled many to take part in this important moment, which kept the connection between history and the present alive.

The memorial service is not only a tribute to her life story, but also an appeal to future generations. Friedländer was committed to fighting forgetting throughout her life, and her foundation plans to continue its educational work. After the dignified farewell, Friedländer was buried on May 15, 2025 at the Weißensee Jewish Cemetery. The Federal President is patron of the foundation and underlined the feeling of emptiness left by the loss of this remarkable woman.

Friedländer was described as a personality who impressed with his kindness and charisma. In his speech, Steinmeier recalled the numerous awards she received for her commitment, including the Federal Cross of Merit and honorary citizenship of Berlin. Felix Klein, the Anti-Semitism Commissioner, and Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews, emphasized Friedländer's immense importance for Holocaust remembrance and paid tribute to her tireless work. Deutschlandfunk, daily news, ZDFheute