Germany lays to rest Margot Friedlaender, Holocaust survivor key to remembrance culture
A funeral ceremony took place at a Jewish cemetery and Holocaust memorial site in Weissensee, Berlin, the city where Friedlaender was born and to which she eventually returned.
Among the mourners were President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who bowed to her coffin which was covered in pink and white flowers.
Friedlaender died on May 9, almost exactly 80 years after the Soviet Red Army liberated the Theresienstadt concentration camp where she was imprisoned.
For Steinmeier, she embodied the "miracle of reconciliation" between Germany and Jews around the world, while Merz called her "one of the strongest voices of our time: for peaceful coexistence, against anti-Semitism and forgetting".
Friedlaender was born in Berlin in 1921 to Auguste and Arthur Bendheim, a businessman. Her parents split in 1937 and Auguste tried in vain to emigrate with Margot and her younger brother, Ralph, in the face of intensifying persecution of Jews.
Her father was deported in August 1942 to the Auschwitz death camp where he was murdered. In early 1943, on the day Margot, Ralph and Auguste were set to make a final attempt to leave Germany, Ralph was arrested by the Gestapo secret police.
Auguste was not with her son at the time but turned herself in to accompany him in deportation to Auschwitz where both later died. Margot went underground and managed to elude the Gestapo by dying her hair red and having her nose operated on.
But she was finally apprehended in April 1944 by Jewish "catchers" - Jews recruited to track down others in hiding in exchange for security - and sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in what is the Czech Republic today.
She survived Theresienstadt and met her future husband, Adolf Friedlaender, there in early 1945, shortly before the liberation of all Nazi camps at the end of World War Two, and they emigrated to New York in 1946.
In New York, Margot worked as a dressmaker and travel agent, while her husband held senior posts in Jewish organisations. Both vowed never to return to Germany.
After her husband's death Margot revisited Berlin in 2003, among a number of Holocaust survivors invited back by the German capital's governing Senate. She moved back for good in 2010, at age 88, regaining her German citizenship and giving talks about her Holocaust experiences, particularly in German schools.
"Not only did she extend a hand to us Germans – she came back; she gave us the gift of her tremendously generous heart and her unfailing humanity," Steinmeier said this week.
Friedlaender's autobiography, "Try To Make Your Life - a Jewish Girl Hiding in Nazi Berlin" was published in 2008, titled after the final message that her mother managed to pass on to Margot.
She was awarded Germany's Federal Cross of Merit in 2011 and in 2014, the Margot Friedlaender Prize was created to support students in Holocaust remembrance and encourage young people to show moral courage.
In a 2021 interview with Die Zeit magazine marking her centenary, Friedlaender reflected on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's rise since 2015 on the back of anti-immigrant sentiment, saying it made her uncomfortable.
"I remember how excited the 10-year-old boys were back then (in Nazi era) when they were allowed to march. When you saw how people absorbed that - you don't forget that," she said.
"I always say: I love people, and I think there is something good in everyone, but equally I think there is something bad in everyone."
(Writing by Miranda Murray and Matthias Williams; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
27 minutes ago
- The Hill
7 in 10 fear AI causing permanent job loss: Poll
More than 7 in 10 Americans are concerned that the improvements within artificial intelligence (AI) will spark permanent job losses for a large number of people in the U.S., according to a new poll that was released Tuesday. The new Reuters/Ipsos survey found that 71 percent of U.S. adults are worried that AI will put 'too many people out of work permanently.' The large majority of respondents, 77 percent, said they have concerns that, as AI technology improves, it could be utilized to provoke political turmoil. Americans also have reservations about the government's potential use of AI in warfare, according to the survey. Nearly half of Americans, 48 percent, said the federal government should never utilize AI to locate a potential target of a military attack. Around a quarter, 24 percent, said that the government should use AI to locate targets for military strikes, while another 28 percent were not sure when asked. Other topics respondents were polled about include energy and interpersonal relationship concerns. More than 6 in 10 Americans, 61 percent, have expressed concerns about the amount of electricity necessary to power AI. Around two-thirds of Americans in the survey said they are concerned people will flee relationships with other individuals and pivot to relationships with digital AI characters. On the education front, respondents were split on whether AI will help improve the field. About 4 in 10, 40 percent, said that AI will not improve education, while another 36 percent argued it will. Some 24 percent were not sure when asked. A January survey from the World Economic Forum's (WEF) 'Future of Jobs Report' found that 41 percent of employers worldwide said they are likely to cut jobs as AI continues to improve. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted among 4,446 Americans and had a margin of error of around two percentage points.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
A stranger told me I was sending my kids to ‘Nazi camp' — this shows how mainstream anti-Jew hate has become
My children go to a Zionist Jewish summer camp. It's the kind of place that instills pride in Jewish identity and love for Israel while giving kids the normal joys of camp: canoeing, hiking, and endless games of soccer. But on the last Friday before the session ended, the kids and staff experienced a scare that revealed just how fragile Jewish life in America has become. During a live-streamed ceremony, paragliders appeared over the campus. They swooped low, and panic rippled through the crowd. For most American campers, it was confusing. For the Israeli staff and campers, many of them children directly impacted by the October 7th terror attacks near Gaza, the sight was terrifying. Paragliders were how Hamas terrorists descended that morning to murder, rape, and kidnap. The sound of their motors and the image of their canopies burned into memory. 4 The cyber-attacker used their real name in the messages. bethanyshondark/X The camp had fundraised to bring dozens of these traumatized Israeli children to safety for the summer. For them, seeing paragliders overhead was not a quirky airshow, it was the beginning of another attack. Staff acted instantly. State police were called. The children were evacuated to a secure location on campus. The livestream was cut off after we watched the evacuation begin. Parents, myself included, went into panic mode, wondering if we were watching another massacre unfold in real time. Thankfully, the paragliders were not terrorists. It was a misguided stunt, not an attack. But the trauma was real. Jewish children, American and Israeli alike, relived October 7th that afternoon in the middle of a peaceful American summer camp. When I shared what happened online, my post went viral, with over 5 million views. Instead of compassion, what flooded in were thousands of hateful comments. Strangers mocked the idea that Jewish children could have PTSD. They sneered at traumatized kids as if they were actors in some propaganda campaign. And then I opened a direct message that made my stomach turn. A woman, using her real name, wrote: 'F— you and f— your kid who goes to Nazi summer camp! Free Palestine from you sick f—s!' After I called her out, she went on, 'You are literally indoctrinating your children with the idea that raping and murdering people for their land is not only okay but promised to you by god. Zionism is a disease that you are spreading to your children and one day you will be recognized as the supporter of Genocide that you are.' 4 Mandel decided to search up the person behind the messaged and exposed them to their workplace. bethanyshondark/X That message didn't come from a troll in a dark basement. Thirty seconds of searching showed me that Danielle Gordon of Denver is a white, middle-class, college-educated employee of Fidelity, one of the largest financial institutions in the country. Her LinkedIn profile describes her as 'dedicated to working in inclusive, respectful, and ethical places.' And yet here she was, spewing genocidal hate at Jewish children. I decided to expose her name for three reasons. First, to show just how mainstream this kind of hate has become. Danielle isn't some fringe extremist hiding behind an anonymous account. She's a professional at one of the most respected financial institutions in the country. She's a typical progressive parroting TikTok talking points about Jews, Zionism, and Israel. At one point she even lectured me that 'Zionism goes against your religion' — a laughable claim for anyone who has read a page of Jewish history. Her hatred isn't rare; it's disturbingly ordinary. And that's what makes it so dangerous. This strain of progressive antisemitism thrives side by side with self-aggrandizing claims of moral superiority. Second, accountability matters. If Danielle Gordon is representing Fidelity and a client mentions assets or travel plans tied to Israel, should that client trust their money in her hands? 4 Mandel found her LinkedIn profile, where she works at Fidelity. bethanyshondark/X These are not abstract concerns; they go to the heart of whether Jews can participate equally in American life without fear that professionals charged with safeguarding our futures secretly despise us. (In a statement to The Post, Fidelity responded on Tuesday: 'Fidelity does not tolerate hateful, harassing or discriminatory behavior of any kind. The individual no longer works at Fidelity.') And third, I am an October 8th Jew. October 7th shattered the illusion of safety. October 8th was the day after, the day we realized the world would excuse terror and that the hatred we always suspected was there was now fully in the open. I am done playing nice. If you want to make Jewish children relive their trauma, if you want to mock their PTSD and celebrate their fear, then don't expect to do so with anonymity and no consequences. For too long, Jews in America have been told to keep our heads down, not make waves, not 'provoke.' That strategy hasn't worked. The murders of Jews in Los Angeles, Detroit, Denver, and Washington, D.C., prove that. A Zionist Jewish summer camp is, in fact, a target. To pretend otherwise is delusion. 4 Mandel said that she exposed the name to show how this type of hate has become mainstream. bethanyshondark/X So here is my message: if you come at Jews, expect a fight. That's what being an October 8th Jew means. It means the days of pretending antisemitism is rare or fringe are over. It means no longer accepting excuses for those who dehumanize us. It means fighting back with every tool we have: our voices, our platforms, and our refusal to be silent. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Jewish children should be able to go to camp in America without fearing that paragliders overhead signal another massacre. Parents should not have to wonder if strangers online want their kids dead. And no professional should be able to boast about 'inclusivity' by day while preaching genocide against Jews on weekends without being held accountable. October 7th was the day of horror. October 8th was the day of reckoning. And we are still living in it. Bethany Mandel writes and podcasts at The Mom Wars.
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Live by the tweets, die by the tweets
Presented by NY Offshore Wind Alliance 'I TWEET THEREFORE I AM': Andrew Cuomo shouted out his new social media gurus at a Hamptons fundraiser Saturday evening. 'They're going to do all sorts of stupid things on social media,' the mayoral candidate said in audio obtained by Playbook. 'And I'll do it. Sometimes it works.' Sure enough, the team did a stupid thing. The Cuomo campaign is scrambling to distance themselves from self-proclaimed memelord Jason Levin after he proudly boasted on X late Monday about making a meme the Cuomo campaign posted — and his plan to do more. The problem for Cuomo is that Levin's online persona is that of a provocative MAGA booster, proudly proclaiming he voted for Trump last year. 'I'M A PROUD JEW WHO VOTED FOR HITLER,' Levin posted over a photo of Trump in a yarmulke. Calling him 'Hitler' was meant as a sarcastic criticism of liberals who do the same, since Levin made clear in other X posts he believes Trump has been 'the best supporter of the Jewish people and Israel we could ever ask for.' Levin didn't respond to a request for comment. But he 'is not paid by the campaign, he suggested one meme to someone on that team,' Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told Playbook. 'Hatred, bigotry, misogyny and anything like that has no place in this race.' His questionable posts were quickly spread by Mamdani allies, but Azzopardi said the Democratic nominee's team should be careful suggesting guilt by association. 'If Mamdani's campaign wants to play that game, there are plenty of problematic people who think America deserved 9/11 and who think 'from the river to the sea' is a perfectly fine thing to say standing next to him at a rally,' he said, referring to lefty streamer Hasan Piker, who's backed Mamdani. 'Hatred, bigotry, misogyny, and racism have in fact found a home in this race — on Andrew Cuomo's new-look digital team,' Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec responded. 'There's no strategy they won't embrace in their tragic efforts at relevance. Their digital presence perfectly encapsulates Cuomo's regressive, conservative politics and wouldn't be out of place in Trump's D.C. — but it has no place in New York City.' The memelord arose at a bad time for Cuomo, as his campaign is also trying to downplay the former governor's comments at the same Hamptons fundraiser — first reported by POLITICO — where he said he hoped to benefit from Trump's involvement in the race. Levin posted a photo with Cuomo that appeared to be taken at a Monday night young professionals fundraiser, co-hosted by the candidate's actual social media manager, Daniel Liss. Azzopardi declined to talk about Liss's team or how he's getting paid until the campaign reports its financial disclosure on Friday — but he noted that Levin's meme Liss approved 'did very well.' Cuomo has pivoted to a much more 'online' voice on X since losing the Democratic primary to the social media savvy Mamdani. He explained at the Hamptons fundraiser that's part of his strategy to win the general, saying he was now 'very social media adept.' But minutes later, he lamented the political culture today while suggesting Mamdani was thin on policy. 'This whole business has gotten very superficial, right? I tweet therefore I am. It's all about Tiktok now, right? And it all comes down to three words. Every policy is three words, right?' he said. 'But the more you discuss and explore with people what exactly you're talking about, the less sense it makes.' — Jeff Coltin From the Capitol GHOST IN THE GRID: Cuomo's successful quest to shut down the Indian Point nuclear plant dirtied the grid of the city he's now fighting to lead and spiked costs for consumers. Cuomo fought for decades to shut the nuclear plant located 25 miles north of the city. He raised concerns about the safety of the aging plant and its proximity to the city, where an evacuation — if the worst happened — would be impossible. When the plant was shuttered, gas power plants filled in the gap. The state's electricity emissions increased 22 percent from 2019 to 2022 after the nuclear plant closed, making the state's and city's climate goals more challenging to achieve. 'The city is much more reliant on its in-city fossil generation in a way that didn't have to happen the way it did,' said Dan Zarrilli, former chief climate policy adviser to Mayor Bill de Blasio. 'It was clear that natural gas was going to fill that gap.' Electricity prices also rose — a potential political liability for Cuomo as affordability has become a paramount concern in the mayoral race. Cuomo still defends the decision to close the plant because of major safety concerns. But as Democratic officials embrace nuclear and the state's renewable buildout falters, they're having some regrets. Gov. Kathy Hochul said there should have been better planning to meet the state's energy needs before shutting Indian Point. Rep. Ritchie Torres, who ultimately decided not to challenge Hochul after flirting with a gubernatorial run, said closing Indian Point was a mistake. — Marie J. French Read the full story from Marie French in POLITICO Pro THREE MORE YEARS: You'll have to wait 'til 2028. Hochul said today she wishes New York's Constitution were a little more like California's so she could more quickly respond to Texas' Republican redistricting efforts. Still, Hochul made clear her plan is to have new, Democrat-friendly congressional maps redrawn in time for House elections three years from now — the soonest the state's Constitution allows. 'Everyone says, 'Why don't you do what Gavin Newsom does?'' Hochul told reporters today, referencing California's governor, at an unrelated event in Albany. 'Gavin Newsom has a very different situation, because if I could, I would. I didn't ask for this. I wish everybody played fair. But if you're going to change the rules of the game in the middle of it, then I'm not sitting on the sidelines and letting that happen.' On Monday, the Texas Democratic lawmakers who bolted from their state to prevent their Legislature from moving forward with Trump-led redistricting efforts returned after a two-week sojourn. Ohio is also looking to redraw its maps in a way that would favor Republicans, though their redistricting efforts were already on the calendar before the Texas showdown. Missouri's governor has yet to confirm whether he will embrace calls from his fellow Republicans to redraw maps there, too. Newsom and the California's Democrats released their plan to redraw California's maps in response to Texas' efforts on Friday. Hochul has said she wants to change or eliminate New York's independent redistricting commission — which she says forces her to 'fight with my hand tied behind my back' — and replace it with a process that is nakedly partisan. That would require a constitutional amendment. But Hochul noted today there's 'no urgency' to move forward because the state's Constitution says amendments must be approved by the Legislature in two consecutive sessions — so acting now instead of January won't change the timeline. (We're currently in the 2025-2026 session). After that, voters need to approve the measure at the ballot box. 'That'll be in place for the 2028 Congressionals,' Hochul said of the new maps, noting voters will likely see the amendment on their ballots in the fall of 2027, if all goes to plan. 'Right now, we're on a path to have it not happen until 2032, so I can shave those years off.' — Jason Beeferman From City Hall TARGETING COURTHOUSE ARRESTS: Mayor Eric Adams filed an amicus brief today in support of a lawsuit by immigrant advocacy groups against the Trump administration calling for an end to the arrests at immigration court proceedings. Masked federal immigration agents have been detaining noncitizens outside courtrooms — including at 26 Federal Plaza — to fast-track them for deportation, though the practice has slowed as fewer people show up for court. The amicus brief comes as the mayor, running for reelection as an independent, seeks to delineate when he will work with Trump and when he'll stand up to the president's deportation agenda. 'If people are afraid of the legal process, then they will live in the shadows, and people will prey on them,' the mayor told reporters today. 'We have to allow people to go through the legal process.' Several New York Democratic officials have condemned the courthouse arrests, saying migrants are doing the right thing by showing up to their court dates and they're not the violent criminals Trump said he would prioritize for deportation. New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant was more blunt than Adams in her statement about the city's move to back plaintiffs African Communities Together and The Door in the Southern District of New York. 'New York City has become the epicenter of the Trump administration's courthouse arrest campaign,' said Goode-Trufant. 'With every illegal courthouse arrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is chipping away at the bedrock principles of fairness and due process that support our entire system of justice.' — Emily Ngo IN OTHER NEWS — TORRES FOR HOCHUL: Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres endorsed Hochul for reelection today after spending eight months harshly criticizing her on a host of issues while floating a primary challenge. (News 12) — CRYPTO PAC PROBLEM: A pro-Adams Super PAC backed by cryptocurrency firms didn't disclose its spending to the city's Campaign Finance Board for weeks. (Daily News) — SPITZER SPEAKS: Former governor Eliot Spitzer talked about Mamdani's victory, his relationships with Cuomo and Trump, and his refusal to consider whether his prostitution scandal would've led to his downfall today. (Vanity Fair) — NEVER SETTLE: Adams' city lawyer said that there is 'no interest' in settling with the woman who filed a civil suit claiming he sexually assaulted her. (Courthouse News Service) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
