Humboldt University Project Carries Margot Friedländer’s Message Across Borders
Berlin remembrance initiative translates Holocaust testimony into Polish
May 12th, 2026
On May 9, 2026, marking the first anniversary of the death of Margot Friedländer, the Institute of Romance Studies at Humboldt University of Berlin participated in a cross-border remembrance initiative dedicated to preserving and expanding access to Holocaust testimony.
In collaboration with the Filologia Romanska department of Uniwersytet Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w Krakowie, students and researchers worked on interpreting and translating a podcast about Friedländer into Polish. The podcast includes an interview with Prof. Dr. Karsten Dreinhöfer, chairman of the board of the Margot Friedländer Stiftung, originally conducted by students as part of the project “Stolpersteine zum Sprechen bringen” (“Giving Voice to the Stumbling Stones”).
The initiative forms part of a broader effort by the Institute of Romance Studies to make remembrance work accessible across linguistic and national boundaries. According to the project organisers, fifteen podcasts have already been translated and interpreted through the programme, extending the reach of Friedländer’s message beyond German-speaking audiences. Her appeal “Be people!” remains central to the project’s educational and ethical framework.
The podcasts are available through the Berlin History App, an award-winning digital platform dedicated to Berlin’s historical memory landscape. By combining oral testimony, translation, and digital access, the initiative reflects a wider shift in remembrance culture toward multilingual and transnational forms of engagement.
The project was developed by Stephanie Mühlbauer, Nathalia Kapeja, and Xavier Bihan. Through translation and digital access, the initiative aims to make remembrance work available to audiences beyond German-speaking contexts and to continue engaging younger generations with Holocaust testimony and historical memory.
