Prize for Understanding and Tolerance to Margot Friedländer and Delphine Horvilleur

Prize for Understanding and Tolerance
Since 2002, the Jewish Museum Berlin has awarded the Prize for Understanding and Tolerance to individuals from the realms of culture, politics, and business who have rendered outstanding service to the promotion of human dignity, international understanding, the integration of minorities, and the coexistence of different religions and cultures. The prize, presented at a gala dinner, is awarded jointly by the JMB and the FRIENDS OF THE JMB.

Margot Fried­länder
Born to a Jewish German family in Berlin in 1921, deported to the concentration camp Theresienstadt in 1944, and liberated in May 1945, Margot Friedländer only narrowly escaped death through the Nazi tyranny. Her autobiography, “Try to Make Your Life”: A Jewish Girl Hiding in Berlin, appeared in German in 2008 and in English translation in 2014. At the age of eighty-eight, after more than six decades of exile in New York, she returned to her home city of Berlin. She works tirelessly for the cause of freedom, democracy, and humanity.

Hetty Berg: “Margot Friedländer teaches us to constantly remember our values and stand up for them in our social interactions. But we can also learn from her how to bridge societal divides and remain engaged in dialogue—not by ignoring or downplaying differences, but by enduring them and highlighting what unites us: our shared humanity.“

Former Federal President Joachim Gauck: “Margot Friedländer’s attitude and dedication are a gift to our society. She teaches us not only history, but also what it means to be human. Her courage and determination to advocate for reconciliation and humanity serve as an inspiring force for many people.“

Delphine Horvilleur
Delphine Horvilleur, born in Nancy in 1974, is a prominent figure in the field of Jewish culture and religion in France. Alongside her successful career as a writer, she is one of the rabbis of the Liberal Jewish Movement of France (JEM) in Paris. 

Hetty Berg: “Delphine Horvilleur has demonstrated her empathy, wisdom, and wit in her writings and speeches. It is always enriching to listen to her, converse with her, and read her books. For the Jewish Museum Berlin, the ongoing engagement with questions of identity and tradition is a central theme — and I hope that the museum approaches these questions with as much sensitivity and insight as this year’s two award recipients.”

Baron de Rothschild: “Delphine Horvilleur is a perfect choice to receive a the JMB Prize for Understanding and Tolerance because she epitomizes those very qualities: understanding and tolerance. In France and internationally, she is recognized as an outspoken and learned member of the French Jewish community and one of its most respected voices.“

For the latest information on the event, visit https://www.jmberlin.de/en/prize-for-understanding-and-tolerance. 

A video recording of the eyewitness interview with Margot Friedländer on 9 April 2018 (in German) is available on our website or Youtube channel.