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has been sharing her Holocaust experiences for decades in all sorts of public forums
aided by her 17-year-old great grandson Dov Forman — she became one of the most unlikely stars on the TikTok social media platform
video-sharing app that allows users to create and share 15-second videos on any topic
is a favorite of young people who post genres like comedy
So how did Lily and Dov’s “ask me anything” Holocaust history clips garner 1.3 million followers and 17 million likes by revealing the experience of one elderly Holocaust survivor
Lily Ebert have watched the petite near-centenarian (she’ll be 98 in December) light her Shabbos candles
celebrate her miraculous recovery from COVID
and answer painful questions of her incarceration in Auschwitz
as deep springs of pain bubble to the surface
How 17-year-old Dov Forman has teamed up with his elderly great-grandmother to share her Holocaust testimony
and love of life with today’s generation via social media seems like the entwinement of strong yet time-worn fiber with spry
Her bright eyes and generous smile make her seem almost young
as she holds her own at the center of a little gathering at her granddaughter's home in Golders Green
Time to TellWhen Nina Forman — Dov’s mother — was just five
she innocently broke the silence by asking a question no one had asked her grandmother Lily before
Why have you got blue numbers on your arm?” Mrs
“How could I possibly explain Auschwitz to a five-year-old?” She had raised her own children with no talk of her nightmare experiences in the death camp
which had killed something within each survivor too
was an unspoken shadow in the family — questions off-limits
in the framework of a Survivors of Shoah group in London
with time on her hands after her husband’s passing
and with the realization that the past trauma would never go away
she eventually let the vivid scraps of memory which had been bottled up for so long emerge
finally fulfilling a promise that she had made to herself in the concentration camps
and to commuters in London’s Liverpool Street station
Ebert unearthed the buried memories and shared them
She was not the only one; several friends who had survived the Holocaust wanted to create a group
Lily helped facilitate the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre in London
where the survivors could enjoy each other’s company
and you won’t see any striped material anywhere.”
and all social and speaking engagements were forbidden under the extended lockdown
and a German banknote he’d never seen before
Good Luck and happiness,” and signed with some Hebrew letters and the words “assistant to Chaplain Schachter.” Dov was curious: Who was this benefactor who had given her the note in the Displaced Persons camp set up in liberated Buchenwald in the spring of 1945
who could tell audiences the excruciating details of the hell of Auschwitz
couldn’t recall the name of the liberating GI who had given her the banknote with his best wishes
Tech-savvy Dov put out a Tweet that hit one million views
and it took just eight hours to find the family of Private Hyman Schulman in New Jersey
The social media storm the reunion created buzzed around the world
the first US Army chaplain to participate in the liberation of Buchenwald
announcing to the Jews that they were free
remained in the liberated concentration camp for months tending to survivors’ needs
and had arranged for Lily and her two surviving sisters to recuperate and begin new lives in Switzerland
Hyman Schulman’s good wishes were a touch of human kindness that Lily treasured for decades
It was 8:30 on Sunday morning when Dov Forman
today a 12th grade student at London’s Modern Orthodox Immanuel College tweeted the picture of Lily holding the autographed banknote
tagging a few organizations such as the Auschwitz Memorial Museum
someone made the connection to Private Hyman Schulman
The reunion with Schulman’s children was a moving moment for the entire family
details of Lily’s ordeal came to light through historical documents and harrowing testimonies recorded and sent by other survivors
Some of those documents and footage were invaluable
Like the video reel someone sent from the US Holocaust Museum about Rabbi Schacter’s travels
a section of which shows orphans of Buchenwald boarding a train for Switzerland
Working out the dates and comparing pictures the family had of a young Lily
getting ready to board the train together with her sisters whom she protected during their time in the camps
Lily was shocked and amazed that footage actually exists of that surreal time in her life
mainstream media came knocking to interview the survivor and hear the story of the banknote
Dov’s dream of harnessing the positive power of social media
who would then follow through to the longer interviews
he’s built up a 1.5 million TikTok following for videos about Lily’s Holocaust experiences and Jewish life
“and I’ve always been asking Savta questions.”
Followers of the duo send their questions to Lily
and Dov selects a handful every week for her to address on the next video clip
candid messages are from grateful and inspired users
Dov says that he gets hate messages daily from #Holohoax and other Holocaust-denier types
But those are relatively few among millions of likes
definitely not reporting the worst of the comments to Lily
Dov is definitely a young master of 21st century communication
but I think their success hinges as much on Mrs
Ebert’s charisma and exuberance as her great-grandson’s savvy
Lily was the oldest of six Engelman children
a little market town in the Hungarian Oberland
Her father’s family had roots in the community stretching back a few hundred years
so that they were related to many of the Jewish townspeople
and her family tree shows their lineage all the way back to the Tosafos YomTov
with two separate shechitahs and cemeteries
Aharon Engelman was an Orthodox textile businessman
his four girls and two boys always beautifully dressed
she remembers — helping her mother prepare cakes and challah dough to be baked in the bakery oven — but her favorite memories are of Pesach
and there was all this upheaval that we looked forward to the whole year
We had a separate tabletop for Pesach that was kept up in the attic
and two big boxes of Pesach meaty and milky dishes
Every family had a day to bake matzah in the town’s matzah house
and we children stuffed our pockets with broken matzah pieces.”
and the aroma of cholent that filled the streets of the little town on Shabbos morning when each family sent a child to the Jewish bakery to pick up their own steaming pot is so pleasant that it’s not easy to move our conversation forward to the dark days ahead
Ebert bravely delves into the dark memories
“that by the time the Hungarian Jews were taken to the camps
75 percent of Europe’s Jews were already dead
it was history — and we didn’t have close family in Eastern Europe who would have reported to us.”
Lily heard about the outbreak of World War II as she stood baking round challahs in the kitchen with Anyuka on Erev Rosh Hashanah
The only disruption that Lily can recall is that a Jewish girl from Czechoslovakia was sent to live in Bonyhád for safety and joined her class
Lily’s father fell ill with pneumonia and died
Lily gave him her promise that she would help to take care of her younger siblings more than ever
Neither of them foresaw how this promise would be tested
and how it would haunt her from the day the two youngest were separated from her
We look in silence at a picture of the kever: Aharon Engelman was buried in the Orthodox cemetery of Bonyhád among his parents
It’s clear that Lily feels this was his good fortune
He was one of the last to be laid to rest in Bonyhád
He could never have dreamed how life in Bonyhád would end.”
By the time the Germans invaded Hungary in March of 1944
they were already seeing defeat on several fronts
exterminating all of Europe’s Jews remained a central objective of the Nazi regime
they were experts at systematic extermination
and Hungary’s Jews were deported and murdered in an incredibly efficient process — between May and July 1944
where about 80 percent were gassed on arrival
Armed soldiers gave us one hour to pack and meet in the ghetto
— that we would be away for a few weeks or months
together with their relatives and Jewish neighbors
obediently took that short walk to the ghetto
ran to Anyuka’s room and grabbed her earrings and rings and Lily’s golden angel pendant
“We think that’s the only gold that went into Auschwitz and left in the hands of its original Jewish owner,” Dov says
Lily watched her brother as he secured their belongings
and as we gathered around in that small room in the ghetto
He removed the heel and packed the jewelry in
On the final day of our transport to Auschwitz
maybe because they had none left as the Hungarian Jews had been arriving by the thousands every day
maybe because we were one of the very last transports
I emerged from the showers to find my clothing taken
but Anyuka’s shoes were there waiting for me.”
Did Anyuka have a premonition that caused her to give the shoe with the family jewelry to Lily
What she does know is that her mother remained calm and composed
even on the horrific five-day journey that took her and her children to a destination so hellish it defies comprehension
“I cannot describe it in words,” Lily says
pushing herself to express the horror of that journey
the space so cramped that you could not move
my mother felt a little food in her pocket
She wanted the children to eat — we were all starving
and knew that Shabbos was Shivah Asar B’Tammuz
I have to fast.’ She couldn’t persuade him to put a little food into his mouth.”
She remembers the blue sky and the seconds of relief as they could emerge from the stinking
and shaven stick people in striped clothing
they thought perhaps they were in a madhouse
Still fasting for his first Shivah Asar B’Tammuz
together with the other children of Bonyhád
with his polished boots and white gloves and a flick of the baton (“I see him still
but I see a blank instead of his evil face,”) pointed Anyuka
the three older girls — Lily and her sisters
Rene and Piri — had no idea that they would not see them again
It happened so quickly that they did not exchange even one word
“I didn’t walk anywhere without my sisters next to me,” Lily says of her months in Auschwitz and beyond
the girls asked other Jewish prisoners what kind of factory this was
What was the horrendous smell and the strange smoke from the chimney
“They told us ‘those are your families.’ We said ‘You’re crazy
What are you saying?’ But very quickly we found out they were not crazy.” The Hungarians
who had been under illusion that they were being temporarily resettled for work
A blue floral faded square of material lies near us on the table
neatly folded among the pictures and memorabilia
Ebert’s granddaughters pass it over to her
They shaved our hair so we could barely even recognize familiar people
But one day an older cousin somehow recognized me and my sisters
and she gave us this as a present to cover our heads
where the clothing and possessions of the deported Jews were sorted and searched for valuables
Although she has told her story so many times and in so many forums
Sometimes she looks pensive and thinks carefully
There are some details she no longer recalls
She notes that since the Hungarian Jews were the most recent arrivals
the men could keep track of the Jewish calendar
the Hungarian girls found some pages of a siddur
which they passed around so they could pray
“The men were on the other side of the electric fence
I have fasted enough.’” Lily is crying now
I shouldn’t have said anything.” She remembers that the SS guards sadistically chose Yom Kippur as a date for horrifying selections
and compared how their mothers used to prepare chicken paprikash
the manic cruelty that denied the Jewish inmates any privacy
starving and terrorizing them with selections and harsh punishments
She tells us about some who did not want to eat the nonkosher food
She automatically followed orders and started moving forward
and didn’t look back to see if anyone stepped out of the line
When the sisters were marched to the ‘A’ Lager and stood in rows of three to be tattooed
Lily recalls that it was actually a sign of hope
We realized that they wouldn’t waste it on us if we were to be killed instantly
It meant we were worth saving for a bit of work.” Her sisters
and they were among a group of 500 girls taken to work in a munitions factory in Altenburg
“It seemed like a five star hotel when we first saw it
until many people could not survive any longer.”
“So where did you keep the jewelry?” I ask
Each day I made a hole in mine and stuffed the gold and diamonds inside
I sneaked some material and made a tiny pouch.”
It was on a death march from Altenburg that bombs exploded on the road near the column of starved women
and they suddenly saw tanks of the United States military
“They were more surprised to see us,” Lily retorts
The American soldiers did not know what to do with us
this time as Displaced Persons under Rabbi Schachter’s charge
and that’s when one of his assistants gave Lily a banknote with the now-famous message
“It was the first spontaneous human kindness we’d experienced for a long
There was a selection of organizations ready to take responsibility for the group of orphans who came to Switzerland
Lily chose to go with Agudas Yisrael to their girls’ hostel in Engelberg
I knew that my parents would want us to be in the care of the most religious organization there
and I knew that my sisters and the other girls I was with would come with me
so I chose the Agudah,” Lily says and then confides
Rene and Piri both married and settled in Bnei Brak.”
After a year of recuperation amid Alpine beauty and fresh air
which was also a year of waking up to the loss of her family
Lucky enough to get immigration certificates to Mandatory Palestine
the small group of Hungarian girls began new lives in Tel Aviv
had arrived in Israel from Budapest in 1938
After those years of taking care of her sisters
Lily had found someone who would take care of her
“To have someone who knew exactly what he was doing come along and take charge felt like a blessing,” she says
Lily and her sisters were reunited with her brother Imi
who had survived the Hungarian slave labor camps
Lily Ebert feels the need to complete her mission as one of the few remaining survivors who can still give a live testimony to one of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind
She encourages her young viewers to ask any questions they have
even though they might not want to cause pain and dredge up difficult memories
And so she bravely answers all the questions that come her way
coached and accompanied by her enterprising great-grandson
she’s gotten the hang of making short clips in front of the camera
Lily and Dov closed a deal to write a book together
it looked as though the book would never happen: Lily had contracted Covid-19
while Dov kept her million-plus social media fans updated on her condition
and as soon as she was up and speaking again
Dov even elbowed his way through to get a foreword written by H.R.H
Lily was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to Holocaust education and awareness.)
As we say our goodbyes (Lily and Dov have to get to their next engagement
a scheduled book-signing in the nearby mall)
Lily graciously autographs a copy of the book for me
the stories inside are a backdrop to the page she shows me — a collage of pictures with her multi-generation family of grandchildren and great-grandchildren
When the photographer takes the opportunity to ask about how she kept her emunah alive
she basically shrugs off the query: For her
And maybe that’s the eternal lesson this brave
petite survivor is passing on to her young audiences: among the myriad quickie entertainment clips
Here is a tiny sampling of the thousands of responses Lily and Dov receive on a regular basis:
I hope she realizes how much she is teaching others with her words and her experiences
Lily you make me smile when my days are bad
I haven’t heard the shofar in such a long time — thank you for sharing this precious moment
The look of joy on your face as he blows it
It’s so beautiful to see how you kept your Jewish heritage after the Holocaust when so many couldn’t
makes me feel that we will celebrate all that is good
Their faith was as important as a chance at a rare piece of bread for survival
Imagine to be willing to give up your only food ration to lay tefillin
I have just put on tefillin because of your video
Your video inspired me to light the Shabbat candles
Mishpacha ContributorsUnder FireAfter a year and a half of fighting
Yisrael YoskowitzNo Regrets “Anti-Semitism hasn’t disappeared
Today it hides under the guise of ‘criticism of Israel,’ but it’s the same old poison”
Yitzchok LandaLimited LiabilityShe can’t undo the insurance mess
but Shuli Berger makes sure the system works for you
Tzivia MethStill in the Story Rabbi Marcus Lehmann's pen instilled Jewish confidence in his generation and beyond
Mishpacha StaffHalf the Battle For Rav Meir Mazuz
every struggle was about the sanctity of the Jewish nation
Binyamin RoseReady, Willing, and Able Israel's US ambassador Yechiel Leiter relives his knock on history's door
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Jane Prinsley is the Investigations Correspondent at the Jewish Chronicle
Jane Prinsley
Ellie Grant
4 min readThe King and the Chief Rabbi have led tributes to an inspirational Holocaust survivor who passed away at her home in north west London
educated millions with her story of survival and resilience in the face of the Nazis during the Shoah
The King said it was “with the greatest sadness” that he heard of Ebert’s death
the King said: "As a survivor of the unmentionable horrors of the Holocaust
I am so proud that she later found a home in Britain where she continued to tell the world of the horrendous atrocities she had witnessed
as a permanent reminder for our generation – and
for future generations – of the depths of depravity and evil to which humankind can fall
"Alongside other Holocaust survivors she became an integral part of the fabric of our nation; her extraordinary resilience and courage an example to us all
Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a statement on X/Twitter
I want to send my deepest condolences on the passing of the extraordinary Lily Ebert
Lily represented everything that was best about humanity
I think of her message of tolerance and hope; her courage to share her story and relive the horrors of her experience so that we might learn; her creativity and restless determination to be heard
which even led to her becoming a global star on TikTok
one of this country’s greatest centenarians
She kept that promise in the most remarkable way
Together we will ensure that Lily’s message echoes eternally across the generations – and that the Holocaust is never forgotten and never again repeated
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said Ebert was “a beacon of resilience
"She emerged from the unspeakable horrors of Auschwitz
Her undeniable fulfillment of that promise stands as Lily’s legacy and our thoughts are with her dear family
“In a world that needs to learn the lessons of the Shoah more than ever
may the memory of Lily’s extraordinary life forever be a blessing,” the Chief Rabbi wrote
Born in Bonyhád, Hungary in December 1923, Ebert survived Auschwitz and went on to share her story around the world. Last year, she was awarded an MBE by King Charles for her services to Holocaust education
Announcing her death on Wednesday morning, Ebert’s family said: “Over the years, Lily’s story has touched hundreds of millions worldwide. Her life-affirming intergenerational memoir, Lily’s Promise, co-authored with her great-grandson Dov Forman
is a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the dangers of unchecked hatred
“Lily taught the power of tolerance and faith
Ebert was 20 in 1944 when she was deported with her mother
younger brother and three sisters to Auschwitz-Birkenau
Only Lily and two of her sisters survived and were liberated by Allied Forces in 1945
and brother were murdered in the gas chambers
Lily made a promise to herself: if she survived that hell on earth
and the determination to honour those who did not
Never has a promise been so profoundly fulfilled as hers,” her family said on Wednesday
she focused on what could be rebuilt from the ashes
and her positivity continues to guide us through these difficult times
A light that shone so brightly has gone dark
and her absence leaves an unimaginable void in our lives,” the family said
the King wrote to Ebert last December: “Your extraordinary strength of spirit
resilience and courage is admired more than I can possibly say.”
she helps to educate and inform young people about the Holocaust through books and social media content
particularly on TikTok where she garnered more than 2 million followers
Giving a hesped (eulogy) at her funeral in Golders Green
Dov said: “Everyone one of us felt close to you
We are here to say goodbye and apologise for the times we let you down.”
with “strength and dignity” and her tireless efforts
ensured that the world would never forget the atrocities of the past
He referred to his great-grandmother as the “Queen of our family”
describing her as a source of light and laughter
38 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson
chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust
said “Lily Ebert was the epitome of strength and determination
"Lily lived to be 100 years old – she was invincible and we thought she would live forever
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 alongside the likes of Rachel
chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees
said “The AJR is deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Lily Ebert MBE
"Lily was a trailblazing advocate for Holocaust education – her special connection with her great-grandson Dov helped to bridge the generation gap and reach millions of people through social media
As we approach the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz this Holocaust Memorial Day – Lily’s zest for life will burn brightly in our thoughts.”
The family have announced that the funeral will be held on Wednesday
Lily Ebert
Holoacust Education
Holocaust survivors
The Germans occupied Hungary from March 1944 and the family were deported from their hometown of Bonyhad in the summer of that year
shortly before the area was captured and occupied by Soviet troops in November
Forman has used social media to spread the story of his great-grandmother and this week tweeted photos of his visit
describing a town that was “once vibrant with Jewish life”
Jews comprised 14 percent of the population
he prayed at the empty synagogue in Bonyhad
which Forman said was a “haunting reminder of the effects of the Holocaust”
He described the bible as “a valuable piece of history
a rare book which is the only living memory of my great-grandmother’s youngest brother”
who has been awarded an MBE for her work educating young people about the Holocaust
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Click here for a PDF version of this edition of Here’s My Story, or visit the My Encounter Blog
I was born in 1947 in Hungary to parents who lost their entire families in the concentration camps
They married after the war and settled in Zomba (near Bonyhad)
we left there shortly following the Communist takeover
when my father was offered a position as a rabbi in Ujpest
where I was introduced to Chabad-Lubavitch
When I was seventeen I came with a group from Montreal to New York for Simchat Torah
I was granted a private audience with the Rebbe
in advance of which I wrote a letter telling him that I was at a crossroads
I had one more year before I finished high school
I had already been accepted to McGill University
even though that’s what my parents wanted me to do
I wanted to attend a seminary to learn Jewish subjects and eventually to teach Torah
The Rebbe’s response was: “Dos iz a guteh velen – This is a good desire.” But he didn’t give me any other specific directions
He asked me a lot about my parents and what they had been through
He advised me to tell them what I wanted to do with my life
But my father was not receptive to anything I told him; he had hardened his heart
and he was not going to let me pursue my goal
Primarily this was because going to seminary meant going to New York
I can understand this; he had lost his entire family in the Holocaust
the Rebbe suggested that I find someone who might speak to my parents on my behalf
as they might be more receptive to outside advice than to my emotional entreaties
He said that Beis Yaakov would be the right school for me
and he even offered to take responsibility for my tuition
He said it would be paid through Keren Chana
an organization he founded in memory of his mother
When word got out that the Rebbe was taking care of my tuition
various Chabad people stepped forward to help me
my parents accepted that I had resolved to do this
and I came to New York to study at Beis Yaakov in Williamsburg
I have always been very grateful to the Rebbe for this
and I feel connected to Keren Chana and to the Rebbe’s mother
and I organize a Shabbat gathering every year for Machon Chana
the school for Jewish girls returning to Judaism
We lived there for the next thirteen years
there were several projects that the Rebbe wanted us to undertake
I think he saw that we were doers and he liked that
after acknowledging the good work that we were doing
the Rebbe directed our attention to an area that was being neglected
He wanted to know why nothing was being done for the Jewish students in the nearby colleges
“There is so much to be done but nobody is speaking up about the matter!” he exclaimed
This was long before there were Chabad houses on college campuses
and the Rebbe wanted to get something going
We started programs at three colleges – the University of Massachusetts
which were all about forty-five minutes from Springfield
We brought the students down for Shabbat meals and some of the young women went on to study at Machon Chana as a result
after I mentioned to the Rebbe that we didn’t have a functioning mikveh nearby
get the project started.” And he gave me a blessing to succeed
I set up a meeting with all the local rabbis
I put down the first $500 to get the ball rolling
a check for $500 came in the mail for some back money we were owed
but it was eventually built – I believe due to the Rebbe’s blessing and inspiration
I was doing programs on college campuses three times a week
conducting a seminar for couples once a week
When I confided my difficulties to the Rebbe
He recommended that I choose one of my projects and put the others on hold for a few months
He also told me to give my full concentration to whatever task I was doing – that is
I should never be doing one thing while thinking about the other things I need to do next
he told me to study chasidic teachings about the role of Divine Providence in one’s life
as well as Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart)
the 11th century classic by Rabbeinu Bahya
especially the chapter called “Gate of Trust.”
just as I took everything he said very much to heart
I set up a class to study Chovot HaLevavot with other women
and I learned to live in the moment as he suggested
and that helped me not feel so overwhelmed
And this advice really has kept me going ever since
have guided me and my husband throughout our lives
They also work as hospital chaplains at the Morristown Medical Center and have spent many years as matchmakers
This one of the most realistic articles I have seen There is much to learn from it
It really describes the Rebbe as he was wirthout having to come on to mofsim
“with the boarders unguarded” (even though the spelling is incorrect) that sounds pretty much like the US borders for the last 43 / 44 yrs
thank G-d we have an amazing President DT who is Securing Protecting Defending our Borders from Illegal Ailens who are coming into our country they aren’t immigrants lets get this straight an immigrant is someone who comes legally to a country
Encroachers” aka “Illegal Ailens” are those who jump cross pass our borders & enter in Illegally
also those who overstay their visa on purpose & stay past the expiration date 26 34 42 years are also Ailens even those they came with a visa bec their intetion was to overstay their visa
we must deport all Illegal Ailens both criminal & non being that they both committed a crime by passing our borders Illegal every sec they’re here they’re commiting a crime
& the libs call them poor immigrants have pity on them what abt legal US citizens who are struggling & came legally to this county
listen to Michael Savage on your local radio station here in the Tri State area wabc 77 3 – 5 pm his motto is Borders Language Culture
Speaking about Borders our President Donald Trump may Gd bless protect grant him tons of success in everything he’s doing
Central & S America there will be no more entering the US illegally it’s over baby
try it you’ll be sent back right where you come from as well Gd bless & grant lots of Success to ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) they are getting rid of both criminals & non alike they are going city to city town by town & we are taking our country back
No more of open borders & letting illegal ailens stay & get Gov / City programs like BO (Barack Obama) those days are long gone thank Gd
& another thing check out the 14th amendment article 1 section 8 clause 4 it says anyone born to foreigners or ailens aren’t US citizens so all these anchor babies are not US & they should & must all be deported as well
deport them all plus the wall is gona go into the ground a few feet deep so they can’t dig
Secure Protect Defend the Borders of The US no more illegal immigration
Bad enough we have bona fide “citizens” committing crime
we don’t need more of it with the illegals
an author and a survivor of the Nazis’ Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp
became a great-great-grandmother this week at the…
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became a great-great-grandmother this week at the age of 100
announced on X/Twitter the birth of a baby boy in the family
which he said marks “five generations of Jewish life” for Ebert
He also posted photos of Ebert holding her new great-great-grandchild
“I never expected to survive the Holocaust
Now I have five beautiful generations,” said Ebert
❤️ pic.twitter.com/XYhlYTHmTS
— Dov Forman (@DovForman) April 11, 2024
to teach social media users about the Holocaust
Ebert was 20 when she was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp with her mother Nina
and sister Berta were immediately sent to the gas chambers and killed
Ebert and her remaining sisters were later transported to a munitions factory near Leipzig
where they worked until they were liberated by Allied forces in 1945
The sisters reunited with their eldest brother
in 1953 and together the siblings relocated to Israel
Ebert and her husband moved to London with their three children in 1967
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Senior Associate of Radio Free Europe Hungary
and his mentee Zsuzsanna Fritz have jointly come out on top in Transparency International (TI) Hungary’s 12th Mentor-Mentee Program on Investigative Journalism
The winning pair took a closer look on an agricultural logistics centre built using EU and state funds in the city of Bonyhád
the depot was originally intended to help local farmers and their families to access the market
but was taken over by the billion-forint company of the president of the Tolna County Chamber of Commerce and Industry
At the closing ceremony on Tuesday 19 November
after the remarks of the representatives of the supporting Embassies of the program
followed by the giving-away of certificates
the Embassy of Finland in Budapest hosted the closing ceremony of TI Hungary’s 12th Mentor-Mentee Program on Investigative Journalism
which also included an awardgiving ceremony
The event was attended by József Péter Martin
and representatives of the embassies supporting this year’s Mentor-Mentee Program
the speakers – Ambassador Pertti Anttinen of the Embassy of Finland in Budapest
Ambassador of France in Budapest and Anne Myrjord
Chargé d’Affaires of the Royal Embassy of Norway in Budapest – highlighted the importance of free and independent journalism
the event was also graced by the presence of Jeroen Vergeylen
Ambassador of Belgium to Budapest and François Lafrenière
Ambassador Pertti Anttinen photo by Gábor Lakos
Executive Director of TI Hungary photo by Gábor Lakos
Chargé d’Affaires of the Royal Embassy of Norway in Budapest photo by Gábor Lakos
interviewed the mentor-mentee pairs about their articles produced in the framework of this year’s 12th Mentor-Mentee Program on Investigative Journalism
The social and economic tensions partly caused by short-term rental services such as Airbnb, as well as the regulatory anomalies and political battles surrounding this service were examined in a joint article by Szabad Europa’s external associate Ágnes Lampé and her mentee Renáta Drávucz
the discourse around the service has been increasingly heated and heated for years since the relevant law was passed back in 2020
the local governments of Budapest’s districts
have not put their legal mandate in action
the short-term rentals targeting the tourists visiting the capital has led to a reduction in the number of properties available for housing
which in turn has led to a rise of prices and rents
the current legislation provides an option of misuse
require the registration of properties for short-term rental
Zsuzsanna Fritz and her mentor András Kósa photo by Gábor Lakos
An agricultural logistics centre was built in the outskirts of Bonyhád using 450 million forints (cca Є1 million) of EU funds, intented to be supporting the farmers living and producing in and around the Tolna settlement, revealed András Kósa, senior associaite of Szabad Európa
and his mentee Zsuzsanna Fritz in a joint article
the investment does not serve its original purpose: instead of the farmers in the area
the only beneficiary of the logistics centre is the company that won the contract to run the centre
a company linked to the president of the Tolna County Chamber of Commerce and Industry
such centres to help local producers are needed to bring the products of small producers
who are undercapitalised and excluded from modern technologies
the Bonyhád centre is not used by local producers
and some farmers are not even aware of its existence
said that they believe that the investment
which was built using HUF 450 millions of EU funding
who has local ties to the city of Szombathely and its rural areas
having first got into the business of winning billion-forint contracts and only after his mainly railway construction company had grown up did he marry Ágnes Mészáros
which spanned many years and tens and hundreds of billions of forints in public procurement
and was supplemented by direct family ties
deteriorated: the authors suggest that this was probably due to Zsolt Homlok’s growing frustration at remaining in the back to the gas fitter from Felcsút
After Homlok’s marriage fell apart and eventually ended in divorce with the daughter of the prime minister’s childhood friend
the businessman’s state contracts visibly dried up
Ramóna Heszler and her mentor Dóra Ónody-Molnár photo by Gábor Lakos
In contrast to tangible cases of corruption, Dóra Ónody-Molnár, a journalist of Jelen weekly, and her mentor Ramóna Heszler explored the problem of domestic violence in their joint article
through the example of the victims anonymised in the article
draw attention to a number of systemic anomalies
authorities and the judiciary of the Hungarian state are not sufficiently prepared to prevent physical and psychological abuse within the family and to protect the victims of domestic violence
as well as educators and guardians of children who have suffered domestic abuse
often fail to recognise the abuse and take the necessary steps to protect victims
as Dóra Ónody-Molnár and her mentor Ramóna Heszler revealed
as in the examples described in the article
police and courts do not take into account the real situation of women and those in charge of the case behave in a humiliating and distrustful way towards the victims
could be to change the attitudes of professionals working with victims of domestic violence
in addition to the ratification of the Istanbul Convention
Zsolt Porcsin, editor-in-chief of the Debreciner, and his mentor Boldizsár Bereczki visited seven municipalities in Hajdú-Bihar County to explore the usefulness of markets built in the county using public and/or EU funds. As they write
despite the fever of market construction in the region in recent years
the vast majority of them cannot be considered a success story
and local market life has either been changed nothing or even backslided
Changing consumer habits and the transformation of local agricultural culture have contributed to this
the failure has been compounded in many cases by the fact that neither the vendors nor the local people were consulted beforehand and were not involved in the planning process
This can result in markets that are not popular with traders or are completely out of the way of clients
as they could have been a natural medium and centre for the flow of information and discussion of common issues if they had been designed and developed with due care and attention
Following the presentation of articles from TI Hungary’s 12th Mentor-Mentee Program on Investigative Journalism
the certificates of the mentor-mentee couples were presented by the Executive Director of TI Hungary to this year’s participants
József Péter Martin also announced this year’s investigative mentor-mentee pairs; the first place was awarded to András Kósa
Zsuzsanna Fritz and József Péter Martin photo by Gábor Lakos
The articles of the 12th Mentor-Mentee Program on Investigative Journalism participants were judged by a four-member jury
was concluded with a reception offered by the Embassy of Finland
The TI Hungary team would like to congratulate the winning pair and all the participants of the 12th Mentor-Mentee Program on Investigative Journalism
while the closing event with the award ceremony was hosted by the Embassy of Finland
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Úgy tűnik nem található semmi ezen a helyen
IMPRESSZUM
SZERZŐI JOGOK
ADATVÉDELEM
FELHASZNÁLÁSI FELTÉTELEK
Reviewing: “Lily’s Promise: How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live” by Lily Ebert and Dov Forman
This book really hit home—and not just because I read the whole thing over Tisha B’Av
The protagonist of this largely autobiographical Holocaust book is a scion of the famed Engelman family from the Hungarian town of Bonyhad
where the Jewish community seems to have been established in the mid 1700s
The Engelmans were even the first signatories on the document that officially established the Orthodox Community of Bonyhad as a breakaway from the Neolog Community
the Engelmans have proven themselves to be resilient
and Lily’s story simply follows that trajectory
other prominent members of the extended Engelman family include Benjamin Engelman
a well-known nuclear physicist in Jerusalem
the current state comptroller/ombudsman of Israel.)
Lily’s story opens with a vivid description of her idyllic childhood and upbringing in the quaint Hungarian town of Bonyhad
Lily shows herself to be a responsible and reliable doer
as well as a figure to whom her younger siblings looked up
the tragedies only began in 1944 when the Nazis occupied Hungary
for Lily’s family the first tragedy came in 1942 with the death of their father
Lily promised that she would take care of her siblings—a promise she truly kept
the Jews of Bonyhad were rounded up and confined to the makeshift ghetto—before they were quickly deported to Auschwitz
where most of them sadly perished (on the 18th of Tammuz)
was forced into the ghetto and then deported to Auschwitz
In one of the most moving scenes in the book
Lily’s mother gives over her shoes (in whose soles was hidden precious jewelry) as she realizes that she will not survive the camps
leaving it to Lily to figuratively walk in her mother’s shoes
Along the arduous and grueling path that her story took
Lily held steadfast to her faith and to her responsibility to her younger sisters
She literally held the hands of her two younger sisters
as they survived together the concentration camp at Auschwitz and the forced labor at Altenburg
they were liberated by soldiers from the American Army
Lily and her sisters were directly aided by the efforts of the legendary U.S
who helped them find refuge and recovery in Switzerland; and from Switzerland they found their way to the British Mandate of Palestine through the efforts of Agudas Yisrael
The Engelman sisters were later reunited with their lone surviving brother Imre (Imi)
who eventually joined them in Israel after having been held up under the Soviets for several years
Lily’s mother and other siblings did not survive the horrors of the Nazis
Lily and her sisters settled in the Holy Land and married
with Lily wedding a fellow Hungarian immigrant
with whom she established a family in Tel Aviv
where they have by now established multiple generations of God-fearing Jews
Lily became more open to the idea of publicly speaking about the Holocaust and her experiences during the war years
She frequented the speaking circuit and was a guest at schools where she lectured about the Holocaust
as the lockdowns prevented public gatherings and essentially confined her to her home
The 18-year-old is Lily’s great-grandson and a high school student in London
He teamed up with his spunky nonagenarian ancestor to research some aspects of her story on social media
and used Twitter to tell Lily’s story of surviving the Holocaust; his tweets reached over 70 million Twitter users in 2020 and 2021
They wrote this book together to bring her story to a wider audience
Dov set up a TikTok account to raise awareness among people his own age about the Holocaust and the consequences of hate
He posts videos with his great-grandmother answering questions about the Holocaust
98-year-old Lily has close to 2 million followers
In January 2022 Lily and Dov were guests at Buckingham Palace
one of seven commissioned by Prince Charles to honor Holocaust survivors
“Lily’s Promise” was especially meaningful to me because my own grandmother
was Lily’s classmate and is even mentioned in her book (on page 162)
wrote “Bonyhad: A Destroyed Community” (Shengold
so many of the characters that appear in Lily’s story (like the endearing town doctor Dr
Litzman and the Engelman girls themselves) were already familiar to me through his work
For those who want to be inspired by a tale of resilience
The heroes of Hungary’s 1956 revolution fought for independence
a state secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office said in Bonyhád
commemorating the 65th anniversary of 1956
“The revolution broke out spontaneously in October 1956
which is why the event could be interpreted as a moment of manifestation of the Hungarian people’s soul,” Árpád János Potápi
who is in charge of the policy for Hungarian communities abroad
“Those who get to know about 1956 will also get to know the community of Hungarians,” he said
“The battles in 1956 claimed some 2,600 lives
including victims in Bonyhád: 16-year-old collier student Jenő Szakács
and 19-year-old Red Cross worker Piusz Domokos
who was shot in Budapest,” Potápi said
Viktor Orbán’s speech at the commemoration ceremony of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
200,000 people fled to the West to escape retaliation after the revolution. “Those were young
intelligent and hardworking people whom the homeland has missed ever since,” he said
Referring to next spring’s general election
Potápi said: “Let’s not allow those to return to power for whom Hungary does not matter
Let’s defend the honour of the 1956 revolution against those who have smeared it already many times,” the state secretary said
referring to events fifteen years ago when commemorations of 1956’s 50th anniversary were marred by violence
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Facebook on Saturday
marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the anti-Soviet revolt
despite reports aired on Radio Free Europe in October 1956
suggesting imminent international intervention to support the Hungarian revolution
but that world left us high and dry,” Szijjártó said
adding that the country lost not only its fight but also “freedom for more than three decades”
Niagara Falls lit up in Hungarian national colours to commemorate 1956
“We lost tens and hundreds of thousands: those that died
and those that had to flee and could never return to their homeland,” the minister said
long live free Hungary,” Szijjártó said in his entry
those 200,000 never returned to Hungary as pointed out by the Foreign Minister
you just admitted that refugees who leave their homelands will most likely never return even if their home country has stabilized (ex: Syria)
considering that Hungary is producing goods to the West due to cheap labour and wage (ex: see Germany’s automobile sector building plants in Hungary)
Hungary isn’t just receiving funds without the West getting anything in return
just because Western countries backstabbed Hungary in the past doesn’t mean Hungary should use it as an opportunity to bash them
especially considering when the US helped to bleed the USSR dry due to the USSR abysmal failure in Afghanistan (would contribute to its breakup) and the fact the USSR had trouble matching the economical might of the US
The US also supported the independence movements in the 90s (ex: “Mr
it is easier to make deals and concessions when you are not always bashing the other party
even if the other party comes across as hypocritical at times
It is called the “kettős mérce”
I know more expressions in Hungarian than you do
What is a Hungarian hater like you doing in Hungary
It is pitiful that you think I would be insulted by Mr
I consider myself a Hungarian and American patriot
The Hungarian expression is “amerikás-magyar”
You are so full of (something) but sadly lacking in self awareness
However I congratulate you upon being a laughing stock
Not interested in the insults of Hungarian hating nothing
and website in this browser for the next time I comment
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