Auschwitz survivor Lily Ebert has died at the age of 100 as her family mourned the woman whose story touched millions of people worldwide.
“We are heartbroken to announce the peaceful passing of our beloved matriarch, Lily Ebert, mom, Safta, who died at home surrounded by her loving family,” read a tribute from her great-grandson on X.
Ebert was recognized for her services to Holocaust education and was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honors list last year.
“Safta was the queen of our large, loving family,” great-grandson Dov Forman continued in his moving post.
Ebert, who became a founding member of the British Holocaust Survivor Center, and her grandson amassed billions of views on TikTok in an effort to educate the younger generation about the Holocaust.
Auschwitz survivor Lily Ebert died today at the age of 100
In the photo: Lily Ebert (front right) with her older brother and 3 younger sisters in 1943. Her youngest brother is not in the photo. Her sister Berta on the left was murdered in Auschwitz
Lily (pictured) was recognized last year for her services to Holocaust education at Windsor Castle, after being included in the New Year Honors list – the first under King Charles’s tutelage since his accession to the throne. Pictured with great-grandson Dov Forman
Forman continued the heartbreaking tribute: “On July 9, 1944, Safta and her family arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
‘Her mother, younger sister and brother were murdered in the gas chambers.
“Faced with 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 honor those who didn’t.”
He then praised his courageous great-grandmother for sharing her tragic story with millions around the world.
“Never was a promise so profoundly fulfilled as hers,” he wrote.
“Over the years, Safta’s story has touched hundreds of millions of people worldwide and reminded 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 your mind and the need to stand up against prejudice.”
“With a surviving daughter and son, who remember a daughter who has predeceased 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, without 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-grandmother in April
“As we mourn our beloved mom, 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 because of my religion, and today I have been given this honour. Words cannot explain how much this means to me.
‘I promised myself that if I survived, I would tell the whole world what had happened to us in Auschwitz – that people had been murdered for no other reason than their beliefs, because we were thought to be unworthy of life. ‘
She said she had always tried to be a positive force in the world and encourage others to “appreciate our differences, learn from each other and be kind to everyone.”
‘Something so terrible must never happen again. As long as I live, 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 “had not won.”
Forman took to X to share an emotional photo of his great-grandmother with her daughters and grandchildren.
The wholesome photos racked up more than 20,000 likes and Ebert beamed as she held her newborn great-grandchild.
The caption read: “This week my great-grandmother, Lily Ebert, a 100-year-old survivor of Auschwitz, became a great-great-grandmother.
‘I never expected to survive the Holocaust. Now I have five wonderful generations. The Nazis did not win!” From near-death in Auschwitz to five generations of Jewish life.’