Margot Friedl�nder, one of the oldest Holocaust survivors in the world, was niftar this past week in her hometown of Berlin at the age of 103.

Friedl�nder, n�e Bendheim, was born in Berlin in 1921 and survived the Holocaust after losing her mother and brother in Auschwitz. Her mother�s final words, �Try to make your life,� became a guiding principle for Friedl�nder in the decades that followed.

She was captured in hiding at age 21 and deported to Theresienstadt, where she met her future husband, Adolph Friedl�nder, also a survivor. The couple moved to New York in 1946 and lived there for over 60 years. After her husband�s passing, she made the remarkable decision to return to Berlin in 2010 to dedicate her life to Holocaust education and remembrance.

Until her final days, Friedl�nder delivered powerful testimony to thousands, especially German schoolchildren, often urging them with her heartfelt plea: �Be human.� Her legacy inspired countless individuals to confront the truth of the Holocaust and accept the responsibility of remembrance.

�She gave our country the gift of reconciliation,� said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. �We cannot be grateful enough.�

Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, described her as �a symbol of resilience and humanity… Her words reached hearts. Her presence changed lives.�

Friedl�nder�s dedication to preserving the truth of the Shoah earned her Germany�s highest honors, including a lifetime achievement award from the president. She remained active in public life even in her final days, attending a ceremony just two days before her petirah commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)