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Lily refused to let a chance to tell the truth slip by
Her story of survival was Lily’s weapon against hatred
October 19, 2024 23:02
Her story of survival was Lily’s weapon against hatred
October 19, 2024 23:02As I sat in shul this Yom Kippur, my thoughts turned to the late Lily Ebert.
I couldn’t help but smile as others around me murmured about being hungry. It brought to mind a conversation I had with Lily a few years ago, just before Yom Kippur. Already in her nineties, I called to wish her a “Shana tovah” and urged her to skip the fast for the sake of her health. In true Lily fashion she laughed and said: “Karen, I survived Auschwitz – what’s one day without food?” There was an extended pause before I could muster a reply!
This was the same Lily I called to check how she was coping during the Covid pandemic. She was confused by the concern – after all, she had food, water and a garden to sit in. After her experience during the Holocaust, this was not an ordeal for her.
That was Lily in a nutshell. No one could ever tell her to stop, slow down or rest. Her only desire was to do more – to share her testimony with as many people as possible.
Lily’s relentless drive to educate others about the Holocaust was rooted in her unwavering sense of responsibility. I first met her in the early 2000s when I was speaking on a panel. A tiny woman wearing a hat raised her hand, stood up – waving the trademark press clippings that she always carried with her – and proceeded to tell us all, with her strong Hungarian accent, what happened to her and her family and why we must always remember. She may have been small of stature, but in that moment, we were all in awe of this giant of a person, speaking with such passion and force.
In 2013, the then Prime Minister David Cameron spoke at our appeal dinner, and Lily was determined to speak to him. Through the crowds, she succeeded – with her photo album.
At a grand reception with the late Queen Elizabeth II, the same thing happened! I remember Lily digging out her latest press clippings to show, and she was received with such warmth and respect. Lily refused to let an opportunity to tell the truth of the past slip by.
Lily knew that the lessons of her survival were not just about remembering the past, but about shaping the future. Whether speaking to schoolchildren, the media, or connecting with millions on TikTok alongside her great-grandson Dov Forman, she focused on one goal: making sure that what happened during the Holocaust would never be forgotten. That antisemitism would never again be allowed to flourish. Which is why, as the world turned dark once again on October 7, when antisemitism soared, Lily did not cower. Rather, she made her voice louder than ever calling out the anti-Jewish hatred she faced once again.
Lily taught me not only about the depths of human cruelty, but also about the resilience of the human spirit. There were countless occasions where we feared Lily would not be able to do something owing to her age or frailty, but without fail, she would step up and deliver. She was indefatigable. Her story of survival was her weapon against hatred, and she wielded it with courage and grace.
I left shul knowing that 80 years ago, Lily marked Yom Kippur in circumstances none of us could imagine. She made a promise to herself that when she survived, she would share her story with the world. She did that and more. Our promise is never to let the world forget Lily.
Karen Pollock is chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust