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This week Ib Katznelson (*1941) was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, First Class, in Copenhagen. The Federal Cross of Merit is the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, awarded by the Federal President for outstanding political, economic, social and intellectual achievements. It is the highest award of the Federal Republic. President Steinmeier paid tribute to Katznelson's tireless commitment to upkeeping the memory of the Holocaust and of the crimes during the Second World War. The Federal President underlined Ib Katznelson's contribution to German-Danish reconciliation.

The Danish Jew Ib Katznelson was deported to Ravensbrück with his mother as a small child in 1943. In the spring of 1944, both were further deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto, where they met Ib Katznelson's father. In April 1945, the family was liberated by the White Buses and was able to return to Denmark.

For decades, Ib Katznelson has dealt with his own history as a public speaker and advocates for active remembrance. He is an active member of the International Ravensbrück Committee and closely associated with the Ravensbrück Memorial.

The memorial wamrly congratulates him on this well-deserved honour!

Photo: David Katznelson