"If you were human beings, you wouldn't do such a thing. Back then, people cheered – cheered without knowing what they were cheering for. You are wiser now; you've learned. You understand what humanity is, what's right, what defines us. That people, regardless of their skin color or religion, are human beings and deserve to be respected as such."
This is what Margot Friedländer said in one of her last interviews when asked what young people today should learn from the Nazi era. She passed away in Berlin on May 9th at the age of 103. She had returned there from America in 2010, dedicating her final years to being a deeply committed eyewitness, particularly in schools. For this work, she received numerous honors, including the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and honorary citizenship of her native city, Berlin. The foundation established in her name awards prizes for initiatives promoting tolerance and humanity and opposing antisemitism and anti-democratic sentiment.
Margot Friedländer was born Anni Margot Bendheim on November 5, 1921. Her mother was from the Austrian part of Silesia. Starting in 1940, she was forced to do labor under the Nazi regime. During an attempted escape in 1943, her younger brother was arrested. Consequently, their mother turned herself in to the police to be with him; together, they were murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Margot managed to hide for several more months before being discovered and deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. There, she reconnected with Adolph Friedländer, an acquaintance from better times. Together, they experienced the liberation of the camp in 1945. This shared experience forged a strong bond, leading to their marriage and emigration to the USA in 1946. She documented her life's journey in her autobiography, "Try to Make Your Life" (2008). Also noteworthy are the documentaries "Don't Call It Heimweh" (2004), "Late Return" (2010), "Arrived, Margot Friedländer" (2021), and "I Am! Margot Friedländer" (2023).
Conversation with Margot Friedländer at the Jewish Museum Berlin:
