Margot Friedländer, a Holocaust survivor whose journey from exile to powerful storytelling made her an influential advocate for Holocaust remembrance, has died in Berlin at the age of 103. She had lived in New York City for more than 60 years before returning to Germany in 2010, where she dedicated herself to sharing her experiences and promoting tolerance among young people.
Friedländer's death was confirmed by the Margot Friedländer Foundation, which seeks to foster democracy and understanding in society. “It helps me to talk about what happened,” she expressed in a UNICEF Club meeting in 2023, emphasizing the importance of listening in the healing process.
Born into a Jewish family in Berlin, Friedländer and her husband Adolf (known as Eddie in the U.S.) arrived in New York after the war in 1946. They settled in Kew Gardens, Queens, where they built a life away from the horrors they had endured in their homeland. Eddie, determined never to return to the country that had taken their families, found work as a comptroller, while Margot became a travel agent. Their traumatic past was a topic they avoided for many years.
After her husband passed away in 1997, Friedländer began to confront her history. Encouraged by a local program director at the 92nd Street Y, she enrolled in a memoir-writing class, ultimately finding the strength to narrate her earliest childhood memories—a departure from her years of silence.
Friedländer’s advocacy work blossomed after her return to Germany, where she became a beloved speaker among youth, sharing her story and urging understanding and tolerance in a world still grappling with issues of prejudice and discrimination. She was even featured on the cover of German Vogue in recognition of her impact, bridging generational gaps and emphasizing the importance of remembering history to shape a better future.
