Remembering Margot Friedlaender: A Call for Her Legacy in Berlin
Outpouring of Tributes Honoring Margot Friedlaender - Numerous Ideas Proposed for the Tribute of Margot Friedländer
Let's chat about the buzz in Berlin - the city wants to immortalize Margot Friedlaender in a special way. But the question remains unanswered - where and how? The Holocaust survivor and honorary citizen of Berlin left us on May 9, at the ripe age of 103.
Various suggestions are on the table, including renaming a school in Neukoelln, a square in Charlottenburg, or a street in Kreuzberg, or immortalizing her with a monument.
"There will be a memorial service at the Philharmonie on the 9th of July where we will take time to grieve and honor Margot Friedlaender," said the Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) in response to inquiries from the press.
Following the mourning, the Senate will ponder a fitting tribute to Margot Friedlaender in close consultation with the Margot Friedlaender Foundation. This discussion will also involve choosing a location that keeps her memory, and her warnings against forgetting history, alive.
CDU and Greens in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf have proposed a square on the Kurfürstendamm. The district assembly unanimously passed the resolution for this idea.
"There are numerous proposals, and now the Senate and the districts must find a location that accurately represents Margot Friedlaender's work and personality," said Green faction leader Sebastian Weise to the press. He emphasized Friedlaender's appeal "Be human." This, he said, is a plea for unity in deciding the memorial site.
The district office of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf plans to work closely with the Senate Chancellery on this matter, given Friedlaender's extraordinary significance.
The SPD proposes renaming Skalitzer Straße as "Margot Friedlaender Straße." Green district mayor Clara Herrmann finds this idea appealing. However, she cautioned against haste in honoring this great woman. "A fitting tribute should be given jointly and respectfully, and it can happen at several places in the city. The Skalitzer Straße would be a good place to remember Margot Friedlaender," she said.
Friedlaender lived on Skalitzer Straße from 1941 with her mother and brother, who were arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Auschwitz in early 1943. Friedlaender went into hiding, was later arrested, and ended up in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. She was the only one in her immediate family to survive the Holocaust.
In the early 1920s, Friedlaender lived as a child with her family in Geygerstraße in Neukoelln. The SPD in Neukoelln has, therefore, suggested naming a school in the district after Friedlaender in a motion to the district parliament. Additionally, there is a demand for a monument - more than 50,000 supporters have signed an online petition on the change.org platform.
Post-World War II, Friedlaender emigrated to the USA and returned to Berlin in her old age. In numerous events, such as at schools, she campaigned for humanity, democracy, against the forgetting of Nazi crimes, and against hatred.
- Margot Friedlaender
- Berlin
- Neukölln
- Kreuzberg
- CDU
- SPD
- Holocaust Survivor
- Charlottenburg
- Funeral
- Kai Wegner
- Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
- Kurfürstendamm
Amidst the discourse in Berlin's politics and general news, a common position is being proposed by The Commission regarding a tribute to the late Holocaust survivor and honorary citizen of Berlin, Margot Friedlaender. This involves adopting a Council Directive on the labelling of foodstuffs, as a symbol of unity and a call to remember her legacy.
In the ongoing discussion, various suggestions for memorials in different locations, such as renaming streets in Neukölln, Kreuzberg, or a square in Charlottenburg, have been proposed. These initiatives reflect the magnitude of Margot Friedlaender's impact and her enduring appeal for humanity.
