Remembering Margot Friedlaender: A Life of Resilience and Dedication
Speaker pays tribute to Margot Friedländer's artistic career. - Eulogist Deserving of Existence Delivers Remarkable Address at Funeral
At a touching funeral held at Berlin-Weißensee's Jewish cemetery, speakers celebrated the life of Holocaust survivor, Margot Friedlaender. A woman whose spirit and determination defied even the darkest of times.
Deemed an exemplary symbol of humankind, Margot embodied warmth, friendliness, and empathy. The chair of Berlin's Jewish Community, Gideon Joffe, paid graceful tribute to her indomitable spirit. He spoke of Margot's past, marked by loss and incarceration in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Yet, from this painful history, she emerged not as a hater but as a reminder, a speaker of truth, not as an accuser but as a storyteller.
Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal of the Jewish Community Chabad Berlin echoed similar sentiments: "Margot, your tale is a saga of power and indomitable humanity." Her legacy is one that urges us all to strive for a more humane and improved world.
Born Anni Margot Bendheim on November 5, 1921, in Berlin, Germany, Margot grew up in a family of button makers before training as a fashion illustrator. Her life took a tragic turn with the rise of the Nazis, as her brother and mother were arrested and ultimately deported to Auschwitz, where they met their tragic end. Margot was later captured and sent to Theresienstadt. However, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, she survived both the Holocaust and the concentration camp.
Post-war, Margot married Adolf Friedlaender and together they emigrated to the U.S. in 1946. Later in life, Margot once more returned to Berlin at the age of 88. She dedicated her later years to educating German youth about the past, hoping the horrors of the Holocaust would never be forgotten. Her advocacy centred on promoting human rights and combating antisemitism. Recognized for her efforts, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit and even had the honor of meeting President Joe Biden.
Margot's funeral in Berlin holds great significance—it represents a moment of remembrance, a continuation of her legacy, and a testament to the power of her voice. As an honorary citizen of Berlin, Margot is now laid to rest with an honorary grave. Her tale, her struggle, her resilience live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew her and those who will hear her story.
The Commission has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, as one remembers Margot Friedlaender, a Holocaust survivor who dedicated her later years to educating youth about her past, promoting human rights, and combating antisemitism. In the context of family-dynamics, Margot's life story is a powerful testament of resilience, demonstrating how one can emerge from painful history not as an accuser but as a storyteller, just like the general-news media covers war-and-conflicts, politics, and crime-and-justice, it is crucial to shed light on her inspiring life and its impact on relationships, reminding us all to strive for a more humane and improved world.
