For decades, Ilse Macek has been campaigning for a culture of remembrance of the crimes of the National Socialists and the resulting strengthening of democracy. The political scientist from Haar has now received the Federal Cross of Merit for her commitment. On Tuesday, the Bavarian Minister of Education Michael Piazolo (Free Voters) presented Macek with the Cross of Merit with Ribbon. The Federal Order of Merit is the highest award of the Federal Republic of Germany for services to the common good.
In his speech, Piazolo praised the determination, courage and organizational talent with which Macek has kept alive and made visible the memory of people persecuted by the Nazis since the 1980s. With expert and tireless research, Macek compiled the biographies of numerous Munich Jews who became victims of Nazi persecution in the 1930s and 1940s. This resulted in books, lectures and other projects.
Since 1998, Macek has been involved in the non-partisan, nationwide association “Against forgetting – for democracy”. As its spokesperson for the Munich working group, she has coordinated events such as lectures, eyewitness talks and school projects and has also spoken out politically, for example to strengthen the situation of the culture of remembrance in Bavaria.
For more than 30 years, until 2012, Macek managed the city center of the Munich adult education center in the north of the city full-time. Today she is on the board of the “Association of Sponsors and Friends of the Munich Adult Education Center”. According to Piazolo, she is largely responsible for the cooperation between the Munich adult education center and the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria. Macek is also a member of the working group “Remembrance of November 9, 1938”. With her work, Macek succeeded in giving victims a face and a voice, Piazolo acknowledged.
Along with Ilse Macek, the physician and Auschwitz survivor Eva Runde and the former member of the state parliament and chairwoman of the “White Rose Foundation” Hildegard Kronawitter were also awarded the Federal Order of Merit.