Auschwitz survivor Lily Ebert has died aged 100 as her family mourn the woman whose story touched millions worldwide.
‘We are heartbroken to announce the peaceful passing of our beloved matriarch, Lily Ebert, Mummy, Safta, who died at home surrounded by her loving family’ said a tribute from her great-grandson on X.
Ebert was recognised for her services to Holocaust education and made an MBE on the New Year Honours list last year.
‘Safta was the queen of our large, loving family,’ great-grandson Dov Forman continued in his touching post.
Ebert, who became a founding member of the UK’s Holocaust Survivor Centre, and her, grandson accrued billions of views on TikTok in an effort to educate the younger generation on the Holocaust.
Auschwitz survivor Lily Ebert died today aged 100
Pictured: Lily Ebert (front right) with her older brother and 3 younger sisters in 1943. Her youngest brother is not in the picture. Her sister Berta on the left was murdered in Auschwitz
Lily (pictured) was recognised for her services to Holocaust education at Windsor Castle last year after being included in the New Year Honours list – the first overseen by King Charles since his ascension to the throne. Pictured with great-grandson Dov Forman
Continuing in the heartbreaking tribute, Forman said: ‘On 9 July 1944, Safta and her family arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
‘Her mother, younger sister, and brother were murdered in the gas chambers.
‘In the face of unimaginable loss, Safta made a promise to herself: if she survived that hell on earth, she would tell her story-not with anger, but with strength, dignity, and the determination to honour those who did not’.
He went on to praise his courageous great-grandmother for sharing her tragic story with millions across the globe.
‘Never has a promise been so profoundly fulfilled as hers,’ he wrote.
‘Over the years, Safta’s story touched hundreds of millions worldwide, reminding us of the resilience of the human spirit and the dangers of unchecked hatred.
‘She taught us the power of tolerance and faith, the importance of speaking out, and the need to stand against prejudice’.
‘With a surviving daughter and son-remembering a daughter who pre-deceased her-ten grandchildren, thirty eight great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild, her legacy lives on in each of us.
‘She rebuilt her life with faith and love, never asking, “why me?” Instead, she focused on what could be rebuilt from the ashes, and her positivity continues to guide us through these difficult times.
100-year-old Auschwitz survivor Lily Ebert, became a great-great-grandma in April
‘As we mourn our beloved Mummy, Safta, we also celebrate her extraordinary life. A light that shone so brightly has gone dark.
‘She was our hero, and her absence leaves an unimaginable void in our lives’.
After receiving her MBE at Windsor Castle she said: ‘Not so long ago, there were people who wanted to kill me for my religion, and today I received this honour. Words cannot explain how much this means to me.
‘I promised myself that if I survived, then I would tell the whole world what had happened to us in Auschwitz – that there were people killed for no other reason than their beliefs, because we were believed not to be worthy of life.’
She said that she had always tried to be a positive force in the world and encourage others to ‘appreciate our differences and learn from each other, and be kind to everyone.
‘Something terrible like that should never, ever happen again. As long as I am alive I will teach the world to be tolerant’, she added.
In April this year, Ebert became a great-great-grandmother and emotionally declared that the Nazis ‘did not win’.
Forman, took to X to share an emotional picture of his great-grandmother with her daughters and grandchildren.
The wholesome snaps racked up over 20,000 likes, and showed Ebert beaming as she held her newborn great-great grandchild.
The caption read: ‘This week, my great-grandma, Lily Ebert, a 100-year-old Auschwitz survivor, became a great-great-grandma.
‘I never expected to survive the Holocaust. Now I have five beautiful generations. The Nazis did not win!” From near-death at Auschwitz to five generations of Jewish life.’
