Prime Minister Wüst Honoured Margot Friedländer with the Mevlüde Genç Medal
Friedländer was awarded for her lifelong fight against hate and intolerance
July 19th, 2024
On 4 June 2024, the eyewitness and Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer was awarded this year's Mevlüde Genç Medal by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst honoured her at the Bode Museum in Berlin for her outstanding merits in the fight against racism, right-wing extremism, and anti-Semitism.
Since her permanent return to Germany in 2010, the now 102-year-old Margot Friedländer has been actively and diversely reminding people of the crimes of National Socialism. Many of her lectures and readings have been specifically aimed at young people and student groups.
Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst remarked: "Margot Friedländer has made the work against forgetting her heartfelt mission—stemming from her own horrific experiences during the Nazi era. Tirelessly, she takes it upon herself to speak of the horrors of the past and thus contribute to ensuring that what happened can never happen again.
Margot Friedländer advocates for the very values that Mevlüde Genç also stood for: tolerance and reconciliation between cultures, as well as peaceful coexistence of religions. It is unbearable that Jews in Germany must once again fear for their safety and cannot always openly practice their faith.
As a survivor and eyewitness, Margot Friedländer has embodied the message 'Never Again is Now!' for years. She speaks for those who can no longer speak, and in doing so, she has reached many hearts and minds, especially of young people. Margot Friedländer is an unwavering fighter against hatred and exclusion. She touches our hearts. She is a role model for all of us, teaching us like no one else the strength to forgive, hope, and tolerate."
