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Prize winner Clara von Nathusius: Civil courage against anti-Semitism!
Clara von Nathusius receives the prize for civil courage in Berlin for her commitment against anti-Semitism and racism.
Prize winner Clara von Nathusius: Civil courage against anti-Semitism!
What happens when you grow up knowing that political resistance can end in death? Clara von Nathusius, 28 years old, knows this reality all too well. Her great-grandfather, Ulrich Wilhelm Graf Schwerin von Schwanenfeld, was part of the failed assassination attempt on Hitler on July 20, 1944 and paid for it with his life. On Tuesday evening, Clara will be awarded the “Prize for Civil Courage and Against Anti-Semitism, Right-Wing Radicalism and Racism” at the Berlin Hotel Adlon. She receives this honor for her impressive commitment to the “Fridays for Israel” initiative, which campaigns for the rights of Jewish schoolchildren and students in Germany.
The “Fridays for Israel” initiative was founded in response to the devastating attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023. Clara, sitting in a café in Berlin-Mitte, describes the motivation for her work as deeply rooted in her faith and ethical convictions. Despite the challenges she experiences in the form of threats and insults online, she remains unshakable. “This affects Jews every day,” she says, emphasizing that it is her job to defend herself against the uncertainty that surrounds Jewish life in Germany.
A courageous resistance
Clara reflects on the dangers her great-grandfather took and finds it remarkable that he risked not only his own life, but also that of his family. Her grandfather was arrested as a 15-year-old when the resistance group was exposed. Clara, who grew up in a sheltered environment and completed a voluntary social year in Peru, has decided to take active action against anti-Semitism. She sees it as her duty to ensure that Jewish life in Germany can be lived without fear.
However, the reality is bleak: After October 7, 2023, the protection of Jewish institutions in Germany is more important than ever. Clara criticizes the fact that the lives of Jews in this country cannot be lived easily and without fear. She speaks openly about the anti-Semitic statements that Jewish students at universities experience every day and the concerns of parents whose children attend Jewish kindergartens. "For me there is no 'yes, but'," she explains decisively and calls for a clear stance against any form of anti-Semitism.