German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Margot Friedländer honor young people for their commitment against anti-Semitism

The Margot Friedländer Award was given to committed students who work on projects dealing with the Holocaust, its tradition and current forms of anti-Semitism and racism. The laudation for the prize was held by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer turns 100 this year and continues to pass on her experiences to a younger generation and encourage them to show civil courage. On Sept. 20, she presented the Margot Friedländer Award, named after her, to young people who are working on projects in schools or beyond to address the history of the Holocaust and current forms of anti-Semitism and racism. At this year’s award ceremony, German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel gave a laudatory speech.

Together with the Young Jury, Margot Friedländer selected five groups of students from Leipzig, Halle, Warbug, Kassel and from the German School Medellin in Colombia as award winners. „We read many innovative and moving project applications, from which we made a good pre-selection for Margot Friedländer and her jury. It was important for us to award young people who build a bridge between the past, present and future of our pluralistic coexistence,“ explains Milena Paul from the Yound Jury.

„The prize is intended to keep Margot Friedländer’s experiences and remembrance alive and at the same time encourage young people to become active. Equipped with the mission of the contemporary witness, they have the responsibility to keep remembering alive in the future and to stand up against any form of misanthropy,“ says André Schmitz-Schwarzkopf, Chairman of the Board of the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe, which is awarding the prize for the seventh time this year.

The following projects received the Margot Friedländer Award this year:

“Traces in the Cityscape – Persecution and Expropriation of Jewish Leipzigers”, Humboldt School, Leipzig City High School
“Diary of Feelings”, SBH-Südost GmbH / Halle
“Unforgotten Podcast”, Johann-Conrad-Schlaun Vocational College Warburg
“Remembering for the Present”, German School Medellin, Colombia (recognition award)
“In meiner Tasche – In My Pocket”, Free School Kassel (recognition award)

More about the projects can be found here.