Hédi is a Swedish author and psychologist dedicated to spreading the message of democracy to combat xenophobia, using her own experiences as a Holocaust survivor. Born in 1924 in Sighet, Romania, she survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen before arriving in Stockholm in 1945. She has been awarded the Illis Quorum medal for education and therapeutic work, the Natur & Kulturs Kulturpris for her literary work, and the Swedish Peace Prize in 1999. She founded the Michael A. Fried Foundation in 2001 which awards scholarships to teachers working against xenophobia and gives lectures about her past experiences to school children.