100: Lily Ebert

 

Lily Ebert turns 100 years old today (December 29, 2023)

She was born Lívia Engelman on December 29, 1923 in Bonyhád, Hungary and was the eldest Daughter of 6 Children.

Her Father, Aron Engelman, was a Textile Merchant, but died of Pneumonia in 1942.

The Nazis invaded Hungary in March 1944 and, in July 1944, when Ebert was 20 years old, she along with her Mother, younger Brother and three Sisters were deported from the Bonyhád Ghetto to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland.

Ebert's Mother Nina, younger Brother Bela, and younger Sister Berta were immediately sent to the Gas Chambers, while Ebert and her two other Sisters, Renee and Piri, were selected for work in the Camp.

Four months after arriving in Auschwitz, Ebert and her two Sisters were transferred to a Munitions Factory near Leipzig, Germany where they worked until being liberated by Allied Forces in 1945.

After she was liberated, Ebert travelled with her surviving Sisters to Switzerland in order to start rebuilding their life. In 1953 Ebert was reunited with her other Brother, who had also survived the Nazi Camps.

The Family emigrated to Israel where she married and had three Children, before settling in London in 1967. Ebert now has 10 Grandchildren and 36 Great-Grandchildren.

Today, Ebert continues to live in London and in 2021 wrote a Memoir called “Lilly’s Promise” with a Forward from King Charles III (then Prince Charles.)

With over 2 million followers on TikTok, Ebert uses the platform for Holocaust Education and sharing her experience, with the help of her Great-Grandson Dov Forman (@dovforman.)

In April 2022, Ebert was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary, one of Hungary's highest National Honors, by Ambassador Ferenc Kumin of Hungary to the United Kingdom, on behalf of the President and the Hungarian Government.

In 2023, Ebert was awarded her MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by King Charles III at Windsor Castle, which is given for outstanding achievement or service to the community that is exceptional and has a long-term impact, serving as an example to others.