Felicia Langer
Encyclopedia
Felicia Langer is an Israel
i human rights
attorney
known for her defense of Palestinians charged with political violations in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
. She has also authored several books alleging human rights violations on the part of Israeli authorities. In July 2009, German President Horst Köhler
awarded her the Federal Cross of Merit, First class. This is the fifth highest of the Germany
's federal order of merit's eight ranks.
of Jewish parents. Her family emigrated 1939 to Russia
, where her father died in one of Stalin's prisons
. In 1950 she emigrated to Israel with her husband, Mieciu Langer, a survivor of Nazi concentration camps
. In 1965 she obtained a law degree from Hebrew University. She briefly worked for a Tel Aviv
law firm, until after the Six-Day War
in 1967. She was opposed to the conduct of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and so established a private practice in Jerusalem defending Palestinian political detainees. Langer assisted Palestinians in cases involving land confiscation, house demolition, deportation, and torture.
While she only infrequently won cases in her 23-year career, she counts her successful defense in 1979 of Nablus
mayor Bassam Shaka as the high point. Shaka had been a PLO supporter and outspoken critic of the Camp David accords, and was subsequently accused of inciting terrorism by his public statements and issued an expulsion order. Langer defended him successfully, having the expulsion order overturned. For many years Langer was vice president of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights
. She was also a member of a communist party
Rakah.
In 1990, Langer ended her law practice and left Israel to live in Tübingen
, Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
, accepting a teaching position at university. In an interview with the Washington Post, Langer said she is quitting because Palestinians no longer can expect justice in Israel. In Germany she continues to author books and be an outspoken advocate of the Palestinian cause.
In 1990, Langer received the Right Livelihood Award
"for the exemplary courage of her struggle for the basic rights of the Palestinian people." In 1991, she was awarded the Bruno Kreisky Award
for Outstanding Achievements in the Area of Human Rights. In 2005, Langer was awarded the "Erich Mühsam Prize" for her continuing struggle for the human rights of Palestinian people.
Horst Köhler
following the nomination by the government of Baden-Württemberg
, itself based on suggestions by Evelyn Hecht-Galinski
and the city of Tübingen. At the award ceremony, on 16 July 2009 in Stuttgart
, the decoration was bestowed by Hubert Wicker, a senior civil servant of Baden Württembergs chancellery. The official award acknowledges a lifetime effort of Langer for peace, justice and human rights.
said: "No one in the last 25 years, with a one-sidedness bordering on blindness, has done Israel more damage than this supposed human-rights lawyer." Other Federal Cross of Merit holders as Giordano, Motke Shomrat, Arno Lustiger
and Arno Hamburger, announced their intent to return their awards if Langer's award is not withdrawn.
Dieter Graumann, vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said that Langer was a "militant and fanatical hater of Israel." The American Jewish Committee
wrote a letter to Köhler condemning the award. The letter expresses an "astonishment at the decision to honor an individual who for many years was an apologist for a regime which brought untold fear and misery upon the citizens of eastern Germany", and refers to her membership of the Israeli Communist Party.
A sharp critisim in German newspapers was mentioned by the spokesman of the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs
Yigal Palmor. He said that Langer had a long track of supporting forces in benefit of violence, death and extremism.
As a result of the criticism, and in response to his return of the award, Dr. Gert Haller, the highest ranking state secretary in the office of the President of Germany
, Horst Köhler
, wrote a letter to Arno Hamburger saying that the grievance caused by the awarding was "terribly unfortunate." After requests by Hamburger he stated there was no legal basis to withdraw the award.
Several elected officials, including the Mayor of Tübingen Boris Palmer
and representatives of the Government of Baden Württemberg, underlined their support for the award.
of detainees, routine violation of international law
prohibiting deportation, as well as collective punishment
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
known for her defense of Palestinians charged with political violations in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. She has also authored several books alleging human rights violations on the part of Israeli authorities. In July 2009, German President Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU and the CSU, and the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Assembly on...
awarded her the Federal Cross of Merit, First class. This is the fifth highest of the Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's federal order of merit's eight ranks.
Life and career
Felicia Langer was born in PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
of Jewish parents. Her family emigrated 1939 to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, where her father died in one of Stalin's prisons
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
. In 1950 she emigrated to Israel with her husband, Mieciu Langer, a survivor of Nazi concentration camps
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
. In 1965 she obtained a law degree from Hebrew University. She briefly worked for a Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
law firm, until after the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
in 1967. She was opposed to the conduct of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and so established a private practice in Jerusalem defending Palestinian political detainees. Langer assisted Palestinians in cases involving land confiscation, house demolition, deportation, and torture.
While she only infrequently won cases in her 23-year career, she counts her successful defense in 1979 of Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
mayor Bassam Shaka as the high point. Shaka had been a PLO supporter and outspoken critic of the Camp David accords, and was subsequently accused of inciting terrorism by his public statements and issued an expulsion order. Langer defended him successfully, having the expulsion order overturned. For many years Langer was vice president of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights
Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights
From 1970 this human rights group was chaired by Israel Shahak. It was briefly a member of the International League for Human Rights but was suspended in 1973. This was related to the organisation's 1972 AGM, on 16 November, which was broken up by some 200 members of the Young Israeli Labour Party ...
. She was also a member of a communist party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
Rakah.
In 1990, Langer ended her law practice and left Israel to live in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, accepting a teaching position at university. In an interview with the Washington Post, Langer said she is quitting because Palestinians no longer can expect justice in Israel. In Germany she continues to author books and be an outspoken advocate of the Palestinian cause.
In 1990, Langer received the Right Livelihood Award
Right Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award, also referred to as the "Alternative Nobel Prize", is a prestigious international award to honour those "working on practical and exemplary solutions to the most urgent challenges facing the world today". The prize was established in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull, and is...
"for the exemplary courage of her struggle for the basic rights of the Palestinian people." In 1991, she was awarded the Bruno Kreisky Award
Bruno Kreisky Award
The Bruno Kreisky Award is a biennial award created in October 1976 on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Bruno Kreisky. The laureates are rewarded for their achievements in the field of human rights...
for Outstanding Achievements in the Area of Human Rights. In 2005, Langer was awarded the "Erich Mühsam Prize" for her continuing struggle for the human rights of Palestinian people.
Federal Cross of Merit
Langer was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, First class, by the President of GermanyPresident of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU and the CSU, and the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Assembly on...
following the nomination by the government of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, itself based on suggestions by Evelyn Hecht-Galinski
Evelyn Hecht-Galinski
Evelyn Hecht-Galinski is a Jewish-German activist, an outspoken critic of Israel's policies towards Palestinians and a member of the group European Jews for a Just Peace...
and the city of Tübingen. At the award ceremony, on 16 July 2009 in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, the decoration was bestowed by Hubert Wicker, a senior civil servant of Baden Württembergs chancellery. The official award acknowledges a lifetime effort of Langer for peace, justice and human rights.
Discussion about the award
The decision to award the Federal Cross of Merit to Langer has been criticized, among others, by several prominent German Jews, Jewish and pro-Israel organizations. Federal Cross of Merit holder Ralph GiordanoRalph Giordano (writer)
Ralph Giordano is a German writer and publicist.Giordano was born to a Sicilian father and a Jewish mother....
said: "No one in the last 25 years, with a one-sidedness bordering on blindness, has done Israel more damage than this supposed human-rights lawyer." Other Federal Cross of Merit holders as Giordano, Motke Shomrat, Arno Lustiger
Arno Lustiger
Arno Lustiger is a German historian and author of Jewish origin. He is father of the author Gila Lustiger and cousin to Jean-Marie Lustiger, archbishop of Paris. - Life :...
and Arno Hamburger, announced their intent to return their awards if Langer's award is not withdrawn.
Dieter Graumann, vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said that Langer was a "militant and fanatical hater of Israel." The American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
wrote a letter to Köhler condemning the award. The letter expresses an "astonishment at the decision to honor an individual who for many years was an apologist for a regime which brought untold fear and misery upon the citizens of eastern Germany", and refers to her membership of the Israeli Communist Party.
A sharp critisim in German newspapers was mentioned by the spokesman of the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other countries....
Yigal Palmor. He said that Langer had a long track of supporting forces in benefit of violence, death and extremism.
As a result of the criticism, and in response to his return of the award, Dr. Gert Haller, the highest ranking state secretary in the office of the President of Germany
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
, Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU and the CSU, and the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Assembly on...
, wrote a letter to Arno Hamburger saying that the grievance caused by the awarding was "terribly unfortunate." After requests by Hamburger he stated there was no legal basis to withdraw the award.
Several elected officials, including the Mayor of Tübingen Boris Palmer
Boris Palmer
Boris Palmer is a German politician and member of the Green Party. He has been mayor of Tübingen since January 2007...
and representatives of the Government of Baden Württemberg, underlined their support for the award.
Books by Felicia Langer
Langer's books discuss the tortureTorture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
of detainees, routine violation of international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
prohibiting deportation, as well as collective punishment
Collective punishment
Collective punishment is the punishment of a group of people as a result of the behavior of one or more other individuals or groups. The punished group may often have no direct association with the other individuals or groups, or direct control over their actions...
.
- With My Own Eyes (1975)
- These Are My Brothers (1979)
- An Age of Stone (1987)
- Fury and Hope (1993) (autobiographical)
- Appearance and Truth in Palestine (1999)
- Miecius Report. Youth between the GhettoWarsaw GhettoThe Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
and Theresienstadt (1999) - Quo vadis Israel? The new Intifada of the Palestinians (2001)