German Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer dies at age 103

BERLIN – Margot Friedländer, a German Jew who survived the Theresienstadt attraction camp and became a high-profile witnesser to Nazi persecution successful her last years, has died. She was 103.

Her decease was announced by the Margot Friedländer Foundation successful Berlin, German quality bureau dpa reported Friday evening.

Details astir erstwhile and wherever she died, arsenic good arsenic the origin of death, were not instantly available. The instauration did not instantly respond to The Associated Press' petition for comment.

She died the week of the 80th day of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender successful World War II.

After spending overmuch of her beingness successful the United States, Friedländer returned to unrecorded successful the German superior successful her 80s. She was honored with Germany’s highest decoration and with a statue astatine Berlin’s City Hall.

“What I bash gives maine my spot and astir apt besides my energy, due to the fact that I talk for those who tin nary longer speak,” Friedländer said astatine an lawsuit astatine Berlin’s Jewish Museum successful 2018.

“I would similar to accidental that I don’t conscionable talk for the 6 cardinal Jews who were killed, but for each the radical who were killed — guiltless people,” she said.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his condolences successful a statement, saying she gave Germany reconciliation contempt the horrors she went done present successful her life. Steinmeier said the state cannot beryllium grateful capable for her gift.

A study released past period said much than 200,000 Jewish survivors are inactive live but 70% of them volition beryllium gone wrong the adjacent 10 years.

‘We’re Germans'

Friedländer was calved Margot Bendheim connected Nov. 5, 1921. Her father, Artur Bendheim, owned a store successful Berlin. He had fought for Germany and had been decorated successful World War I.

Friedländer recalled that, aft the Nazis took power, her begetter initially said that “they don’t mean us; We’re Germans.” She added that “we didn’t spot it until it was excessively late."

Friedländer wanted to plan apparel and started an apprenticeship arsenic a tailor. After her parents divorced successful 1937, Friedländer, her parent and younger member went to unrecorded with her grandparents. In 1941, they had to determination to a alleged “Jewish apartment,” and Friedländer was forced to enactment nights astatine a metallic factory.

In January 1943, conscionable arsenic the household was readying to fly Berlin, Friedländer returned location to observe that her brother, Ralph, had been taken distant by the Gestapo. A neighbour told her that her parent had decided to spell to the constabulary and “go with Ralph, wherever that whitethorn be.”

She passed connected her mother’s last connection — “Try to marque your life,” which would aboriginal go the rubric of Friedländer's autobiography — on with her handbag.

Friedländer went into hiding, taking disconnected the yellowish prima that Jews were obliged to wear. She recalled getting her hairsbreadth dyed red, reasoning that “people deliberation Jews don’t person reddish hair.”

She said that 16 radical helped support her nether the radar implicit the adjacent 15 months.

That ended successful April 1944 erstwhile she was taken successful by constabulary aft being stopped for an individuality cheque aft leaving a bunker pursuing an aerial raid. She said she rapidly decided to archer the information and accidental that she was Jewish.

“The moving and hiding was over,” she said. “I felt separated from the destiny of my people. I had felt blameworthy each day; had I gone with my parent and my brother, I would astatine slightest person known what had happened to them.”

Theresienstadt attraction campy and ghetto

Friedländer arrived successful June 1944 astatine the packed Theresienstadt camp. In the outpouring of 1945, she recalled later, she saw the accomplishment of skeletal prisoners who had been forced onto decease marches from Auschwitz up of that camp’s liberation.

“At that moment, we heard of the decease camps, and astatine that infinitesimal I understood that I would not spot my parent and my member again,” she said. Both were killed astatine the Auschwitz decease camp.

Her begetter had fled successful 1939 to Belgium. He aboriginal went to France, wherever helium was interned, earlier being deported successful 1942 to Auschwitz, wherever helium was besides killed.

Shortly aft the camp’s liberation, she joined Adolf Friedländer, an acquaintance from Berlin whom she met again astatine Theresienstadt. He had a sister successful America, and — aft months successful a campy for displaced persons — they arrived successful New York successful 1946.

A instrumentality to Germany

Friedländer stayed distant from Germany for 57 years. She and her hubby became U.S. citizens; she worked arsenic a tailor and aboriginal ran a question agency.

Adolf Friedländer died successful 1997, aged 87. Margot returned to Germany for the archetypal clip successful 2003, erstwhile she was received astatine Berlin’s City Hall on with others who had been pushed retired by the Nazis.

In 2010, she moved backmost to the German capital, wherever she told her communicative to students and was decorated with, among different things, the country’s highest honor, the Order of Merit. She was made a national of grant of Berlin successful 2018.

Noting that determination were fewer Holocaust survivors inactive alive, she told an assemblage that year: “I would similar you to beryllium the witnesses we can’t beryllium for overmuch longer.”

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