Vogue Magazines Features 102-Year-Old Photographer Margot Friedländer
A centenarian Holocaust survivor, Margot Friedländer, graces the front page of German "Vogue," at 102 years old. In an interview, she discusses her four lives and the distasteful current political scenario.
On June 16, 1944, Margot Friedländer was deported to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp by train, almost 80 years ago. She lived through unimaginable horrors but somehow managed to survive. Today, she is one of the last remaining witnesses of a period shrouded in darkness, refusing to grow weary of recounting her story for future generations to ensure it never repeats.
For decades, Friedländer has mainly shared her experiences with children and young people to spread awareness about anti-Semitism. The rising popularity of the right-wing slogans of the AfD and the increasing occurrence of anti-Semitic attacks are a matter of concern for her. In a conversation with German "Vogue," she expresses her disdain for the current political atmosphere. Friedländer is the cover star for the July-/August-issue of the magazine. "Look beyond what divides you. Look at what unites you. Be human. Be reasonable," she urges those who think narrow-mindedly.
Friedländer expresses gratitude for having made it through the hardships - and for fulfilling her mother Auguste's dying wish to accomplish something in her life. Auguste perished in Auschwitz. "I think about her every day. It's a blessing to have a mother," says the 102-year-old in the "Vogue" interview. Friedländer spent years hiding in the underground, but she was betrayed to the SS in 1944 and was deported to Theresienstadt.
Friedländer dreamed of becoming a fashion designer
As a young woman, she dreamed of being a seamstress and a fashion designer. In 1936, she enrolled at a Berlin Art and Craft School. She had grand ambitions, Friedländer recalls, but Hitler's rise to power destroyed those dreams.
To this day, she dresses stylishly and has a keen sense of fashion. During the "Vogue" photo shoot, she dons both designer outfits and ensembles from her personal collection. In her apartment in a Berlin senior living facility, she has a walk-in closet. She keeps the outfit she bought herself on her honeymoon in Capri in 1958 as a cherished memory. Friedländer and her husband Adolf Friedländer were old acquaintances from the theater, and they reconnected in Theresienstadt. They married shortly after liberation and moved to New York. When her husband passed away in 1997, she moved back to her hometown at the age of 88. She wasn't done with Berlin, Friedländer says.
After her youth, after persecution and imprisonment by the Nazis, and after marital bliss in the U.S., Friedländer's fourth life began in Berlin, where she dedicates her time entirely to Remembrance. For this, she has been honored with numerous accolades, such as the Federal Cross of Merit of the First Class, which she is proud of. However, the admiration of students is the most beautiful, she says.
Whenever she sits among children, whenever she gives interviews to young journalists, or TikTok videos are made about her, it gives her hope.
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In her youth, Margot Friedländer aspired to be a fashion designer, attending a Berlin Art and Craft School with ambitious dreams. Despite Hitler's rise to power and the subsequent destruction of her aspirations, Friedländer maintains a strong sense of fashion and showcases both designer outfits and personal ensembles in her "Vogue" photo shoot.
Friedländer, an Instagram-worthy figure at 102, has amassed a significant following due to her inspiring story and timeless style. She often shares photographs of her fashionable outfits on social media, drawing admiration and gratitude from her growing number of fans.
