Granting Honor - Holocaust survivor Friedländer awarded Mevlüde Genç Medal.
Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer was recently honored with the Mevlüde Genc Medal of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 102-year-old Berlin native received this prestigious award from Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) at a ceremony held at the Bode Museum in Berlin. The medal recognizes Friedländer's exceptional efforts in the fight against racism, extremism, and antisemitism.
"Margot Friedländer has made fighting forgetting her life's mission based on her own harrowing experience during the Nazi era," Wüst said, commending her unwavering commitment. "She tirelessly works to share the horrors of the past and ensure that such atrocities never happen again."
Friedländer is a powerful voice for those who can no longer speak for themselves. Her enthusiasm for standing up against hatred and exclusion has touched the hearts and minds of many, especially the youth. "She serves as an inspiration to us all, teaching us how to find the courage for forgiveness, hope, and tolerance," Wüst added.
The Mevlüde Genc Medal has been awarded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia to individuals or groups since 2018. It's named after Mevlüde Genc, who tragically lost her two daughters, two grandchildren, and a niece in an arson attack on her home in Solingen on May 29, 1993, along with seventeen other family members.
After being deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1944, Friedländer was liberated in 1945 and moved to New York in 1946. In 2010, she returned to Berlin, where she now lives in a senior home and is actively involved as a Holocaust survivor and witness. She has dedicated her life to educating people about the horrors of the past through readings, lectures, and school visits. Friedländer has received numerous awards for her work in this area.
The medal named after Mevlüde Genc has a significant meaning, as it reminds us of the tragic events of 1993 and highlights her resilience and courageousness in the face of adversity.
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- Despite experiencing racism and antisemitism during Nazi era Germany as a Holocaust survivor, Margot Friedländer has continuously worked against extremism.
- The Honorable Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) of North Rhine-Westphalia commended Friedländer's relentless efforts in sharing the horrors of the past and preventing future atrocities.
- Born in Berlin, Friedländer now resides in a senior home within North Rhine-Westphalia and continues her role as a Holocaust survivor and witness, educating people about the Holocaust.
- The Mevlüde Genc Medal, a recognition of exceptional efforts in fighting racism and extremism, was bestowed upon Friedländer by Hendrik Wüst at a ceremony in Berlin.
- The medal is named after Mevlüde Genc, a survivor of the tragic Solingen arson attack in 1993, which took the lives of seventeen of her family members.
- Margot Friedländer's inspiring story of courage, forgiveness, and tolerance has touched the hearts and minds of many, particularly the youth, within Germany and beyond.
- To add to her numerous awards, the Mevlüde Genc Medal serves as a testament to Friedländer's unwavering commitment to preserving history and ensuring that humanity learns from the mistakes of the past.