"I have come to extend my hand to you. I am doing this for you. Be human."

Margot Friedländer

With these words, Holocaust survivor, honorary citizen of Berlin, and honorary doctor, Margot Friedländer touched the hearts of thousands of people, urging them to stand up for humanity and tolerance, as well as for freedom and democracy.

In a future where those who witnessed the Holocaust have passed on, her foundation is dedicated to supporting remembrance.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier serves as patron of the Margot Friedländer Foundation.

News

Schwalmtal: Comprehensive Secondary School Named After Margot Friedländer

Since June 9, 2026, the Schwalmtal Community Secondary School has been called the “Margot Friedländer School.” In a dignified ceremony, students celebrated the renaming together with headteacher Jutta Weidemann-Tigges and the artist Malte Sonnenfeld, who developed the new logo, and commemorated their namesake. As part of the renaming, students from various year groups engaged with Margot Friedländer’s life and messages in a very personal and creative way. A particularly touching moment: teachers, students, and guests joined together to sing John Lennon’s “Imagine” – the dream of a world in peace, humanity, and without violence.
Photos: Linda Schmelzer

Consecration of Margot Friedländer's gravestone on the occasion of the first anniversary of her death

For the Yahrzeit, which in Jewish mourning tradition marks the transition from the period of intense mourning to permanent remembrance one year after a person’s death, Rabbi Jonah Sievers consecrated Margot Friedländer’s gravestone at the Weissensee Jewish Cemetery on May 10, 2026. She was laid to rest next to her grandparents. Memorial stones commemorate her mother and brother, who were murdered in Auschwitz, as well as her husband, who is buried in New York. Governing Mayor Kai Wegner and Prof. Dr. Karsten Dreinhöfer paid tribute to our founder at the grave. The Kaddish prayer was recited by Leeor Engländer.

Carrying on the Legacy: Margot Friedländer Foundation Launches Nationwide Fundraising Campaign for the Establishment of the Margot Friedländer Academy

On the occasion of the first anniversary of its founder’s death, the Margot Friedländer Foundation is launching a nationwide fundraising campaign entitled “Be the eyewitnesses that we can no longer be.” The goal is to establish the Margot Friedländer Academy, which aims to reach young people, schools, and teachers with targeted educational programs. The campaign is supported by the Wall company and numerous media outlets.

Invitation to the "Yahrzeit": On the first anniversary of Margot Friedländer's death, the Governing Mayor of Berlin and the Margot Friedländer Foundation commemorate the Holocaust survivor

On the occasion of the first anniversary of Margot Friedländer’s death, the Governing Mayor of Berlin and the Margot Friedländer Foundation commemorate the Holocaust survivor and honorary citizen of Berlin, who passed away on May 9, 2025. The Yahrzeit will take place on May 10 at 2:00 PM at the Weissensee Jewish Cemetery. The Yahrzeit will be musically accompanied by the school choir of the Hans Carossa Gymnasium, which will be renamed the Margot Friedländer Gymnasium after the summer holidays.

Margot Friedländer Prize winner Fabian Hanspach and actor Thomas Rühmann bring the story of nine Nazi forced laborers to Saxon stages

On April 14, Elke Büdenbender, Chair of the Jury for the Margot Friedländer Prize and wife of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will open the staged reading “The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Resistance, the Gestapo, and the Hell of the Camps” by Gwen Strauss at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Wurzen. Eighty-one years after the actual events, nine actresses from the series “In aller Freundschaft” and “Die jungen Ärzte,” directed by Thomas Rühmann, tell the story of nine young women from the Resistance who survived concentration camps, forced labor, and a death march by jumping into a field of rapeseed.

First school in Germany named after Margot Friedländer – Hans Carossa Gymnasium in Berlin-Spandau commemorates its future namesake on Holocaust Remembrance Day

For Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2026, the Hans Carossa Gymnasium (future Margot Friedländer Gymnasium) and the Margot Friedländer Foundation organized a memorial evening for the Holocaust survivor who passed away in May 2025. Together with students, teachers, and representatives of the district and the foundation, Margot Friedländer was remembered that evening in a dignified atmosphere.

Donations

Margot Friedländer has endowed her foundation with funds from her personal estate and kindly asks for your help:

“I would appreciate additional donations to support this important cause.”

Thank you very much for your donation!

Bank details:

Recipient:

Margot Friedländer Stiftung

IBAN:

DE69 1005 0000 0191 2629 27

BIC:

BELADEBEXXX
(Berliner Sparkasse)