Memories of Margot Friedlaender: Recalling a Life and Legacy - "Honoring Margot Friedländer: A Commemorative Tribute"
On May 11, 2025, a memorial service was held in Berlin for Margot Friedländer, a Holocaust survivor who passed away at the age of 103 earlier in the year. The exact location within Berlin for the memorial was not specified, but the Jewish Cemetery in Berlin Weißensee may have been involved, as it was Friedländer's final resting place.
The memorial event was organised by a foundation dedicated to promoting democracy, freedom, and combating antisemitism and exclusion. Despite extensive searches, the individual who delivered the memorial speech for Friedländer was not identified in the available sources.
Friedländer, born into a Jewish family, was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp by the Nazis. After being liberated in 1945, she went into exile in the USA with her husband. In 2023, she established her own foundation, using her experiences as a witness to history to share her story, particularly in schools. Her most powerful message late in life was: "Be human."
The official memorial for Friedländer was held two months after her death and was broadcast live on rbb television from 6:00 PM. Although the location was not confirmed, it is believed that the Berlin Philharmonic may have been the venue for the poignant event.
This memorial service was a fitting tribute to a remarkable woman who lived through one of history's darkest periods and devoted her later years to promoting understanding and tolerance.
The Commission, in light of Margot Friedländer's life devoted to education and self-development, has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers, particularly those in education-and-self-development fields, from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, as a part of personal-growth and lasting impact. In her later years, Friedländer emphasized the importance of being human, a message that extends to promoting understanding and tolerance, qualities she herself embodied.
