All is Not Lost

Remembering what would otherwise be forgotten

This is Margarethe Hilferding, a brilliant medical doctor who lived in Vienna and fought for the rights of women and the working class. She was the first female member of Sigmund Freud’s Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, and she was a century ahead of her time.

I recently had the honor of reporting, producing, and hosting an episode about her life and work for the podcast Lost Women of Science. As you can tell from the title of the show, Margarethe Hilferding was, indeed, lost: she was a victim of the Holocaust in 1942.

People throw around the word “honor” a lot when they describe their work. It’s usually just a bogus way around a silly brag. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared shitless when I started working on this project. First of all, there was very little available about her; just a small handful of ferociously intelligent women — who do not know each other. They have worked to piece her story together along with Hilferding’s grandson, Karl Milford. All of these characters are formidable, and amazing.

But the most daunting part of the project was the fact that I’ve been haunted by Margarethe herself, and hoping that I have what it takes to do right by her: she was a blazing light who had an immense impact on the people around her. As a Jewish woman with very few rights, she fought for those who could not fight for themselves. She never lost sight of that mission even up to the end of her life; she stood up, over and over, and that made all the difference.

Over the course of working on this story, the world has felt like a burning Tesla filled with shit. But I’ve often had Margarethe’s voice in my head, telling me to stand up, stay involved, and fight on behalf of others no matter how big the obstacles appear. True, I might not know exactly how to do that, but I like to think — in honor of her memory — I can try at least as hard. And I can help others do the same.

If you’d like to learn more about her fascinating life, please listen by clicking here (or on the image below). And let me know what you think.

A few notes: 80 years ago today, Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the 1st Ukrainian Front, part of the Red Army. In 2005, the United Nations declared January 27 Holocaust Remembrance Day. If you’d like to learn more about the events leading up to the liberation, and the history of this commemoration, I’d recommend reading this.

In honor of those who died in the Holocaust, and for those living under the threat of anti-semitism in our own time, I highly recommend reading (and committing to) the recent guidelines for countering antisemitism released by the U.S. Department of State in September, 2024.

As a preview, here’s one of the guidelines. It happens to align with Margarethe Hilferding’s personal vision, as well as her entire life’s work:

EDUCATE – Education is vital for identifying and countering antisemitism, including Holocaust remembrance and countering Holocaust denial and distortion, an especially pernicious form of antisemitism. It has also proven effective in sensitizing law enforcement. Education about Jewish culture and contributions to society demystifies Jews and Judaism. Many countries and intergovernmental organizations have linked their efforts against antisemitism to broadening appreciation of Jewish heritage and fostering Jewish life.

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Thank you for reading! xox