We mourn the loss of our friend and companion Heidburg Behling (1939–2026)
Until her retirement, Heidburg Behling was a passionate teacher of religion and Latin. The roots of her socio-political commitment lie in her student years and her time as a young teacher in Stuttgart, which, under the influence of Willy Brandt’s peace policy, led her to join the SPD.
Later, in Hamburg, she began her work with the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial. Through the Education and Science Union, she joined the initiative for the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Documentation Center in 1981, driving its work forward from 1982 until its dissolution in 1996 as its first chairperson and in other roles. In 1988, she was among the founding members of the Friends of the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial and remained active on its board until the end.
A task close to her heart was caring for former prisoners of the Neuengamme concentration camp, especially those from Israel, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Hungary, as well as supporting the volunteers of the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace at the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial. For many years, these were mostly Eastern European students who supported the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial for one year at a time. As a key liaison, she stood by these young people through all the challenges of daily life during their stay abroad, providing them with support and guidance. For many of them, Heidburg Behling became a loyal friend and companion even beyond their volunteer period.
She was also active in many other areas of memorial work, such as the Neuengamme Working Group, the Auschwitz Committee, the VVN-BdA Hamburg and the Association Children of Bullenhuser Damm. She maintained close contact with many former victims of Nazi persecution living in Hamburg, including Ruth and Herbert Schemmel, Esther Bejarano, and Steffi Wittenberg. Beyond this commitment, Heidburg Behling actively advocated for justice and peace in numerous other areas of civil society. She worked on the team at the Weltladen Osterstraße, was involved in human rights work with Pax Christi, and mentored disadvantaged schoolchildren.
For her extraordinary dedication, she received the “Medal for Faithful Service to the People” from the Hamburg Senate in 2015, the “Olof Palme Peace Prize” from the SPD Stormarn district in 2019, and the “Responsibility Then and Now – In Memoriam of Esther Bejarano” award from the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly in 2024.
With the passing of Heidburg Behling, we lose not only a dedicated ally in the fight against forgetting, but also a role model and a friend who actively promoted international understanding and brought together people of all ages.
Detlef Garbe and Oliver von Wrochem
