From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 15, 2025
German chancellor, president attend funeral of Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, former chancellor Angela Merkel, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and other German officials attend the funeral in Berlin of Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer, who died last Friday at the age of 103.
Flags are being flown at half-mast in Berlin in honor of Friedländer, who grew up in the city and survived the Theresienstadt concentration camp, according to Berlin’s municipality. Locals are also invited to sign a book of condolences in Berlin’s city hall through Friday.
Other attendees at the funeral include Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, Central Council of Jews in Germany President Josef Schuster, and prominent community members.
The funeral was held at the Jewish cemetery in Weißensee, Berlin.
Friedländer emigrated to the United States after World War II but in 2010, at the age of 89, she returned to Berlin, where she has been an activist campaigning against antisemitism and promoting democracy.
Just two days before her death, Friedlander had spoken at a ceremony in Berlin commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Several weeks earlier, her Margot Friedlander Foundation had opened to receive applications for a 25,000 euro prize to recognize efforts to fight antisemitism and promote democracy.
Friedländer was “a woman of unshakable moral courage, a survivor of unimaginable loss, and a voice of remembrance for generations,” the World Jewish Congress said in a statement after her death. “This is a profound loss for the Jewish people, for Germany, and for all those who believe in memory and moral responsibility.”
The Times of Israel Community.