Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert who found TikTok fame with her great-grandson Dov Forman has died at age 100

Lily Ebert started speaking about her experiences in an Auschwitz concentration camp when her great-grandson, Dov Forman, started a social media account them.

Since 2021, Ebert had been posting videos on the page, @lilyebert, along with the help of her teenage great-grandson. Viewers were invited to ask her questions, and some of her most watched videos include her speaking about being given a Auschwitz number and the conditions she slept in.

Ebert’s death was confirmed earlier today (Wednesday October 9) by Forman on his X account. He wrote a lengthy tribute to his great-grandmother, in which he said his family were “heartbroken” to announce the death of their “matriarch”, who died “peacefully” at home surrounded by her loved ones.

He went on to describe her as “a light that shone so brightly”. He said: “A light that shone so brightly has gone dark. She was our hero, and her absence leaves an unimaginable void in our lives.”

In tribute, Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive, Holocaust Educational Trust said: "Lily Ebert was the epitome of strength and determination. She was invincible and we thought she would live forever.”

She added: “A proud mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother, her large loving family was her revenge against the Nazis. She will be remembered for her incredible story, her unparalleled tenacity and her zest for life. She belongs in the list of Jewish heroines.”

Ebert, who celebrated her centenary year in 2023, was 20 years old when she was deported from her home in Bonyhad in Hungary to Auschwitz-Birkenau. On arrival she was separated from her mother Nina, her younger sister Berta, and her younger brother Bela and they were all immediately sent to the gas chambers.

Ebert and her sisters Renee and Piri were selected for work. From Auschwitz, she was transferred to a munitions factory near Leipzig, where she was eventually liberated by Allied forces. After liberation she was sent to Switzerland to recuperate and from there went to Mandate Palestine. She later recalled standing on Rothschild Avenue hearing the Declaration of Independence and recalled the tremendous joy she felt.

She then moved to the UK and raised a family. She was a mum, a grandma, a great grandma and a great-great grandma. Forman previously wrote on X to say that Ebert had once said: “I never expected to survive Auschwitz and start a family. Babies are the best revenge against the Nazis.”

She spoke in schools and colleges across the country about her experiences, and her portrait was commissioned by King Charles. Along with Forman she co-wrote her story in a book called Lily’s Promise, which has been translated into dozens of languages and read across the world. You can buy Lily’s Promise on Amazon now.

Ebert leaves behind a son and a daughter, as well as ten grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.