King hails ‘resilience and courage’ of Holocaust survivor who has died aged 100
The King has paid a warm tribute to Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert, who has died aged 100, saying that her “extraordinary resilience and courage” were an example to us all.
The Hungarian-born British writer died peacefully at home in north London.
The King is patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and met Ms Ebert in 2015, when she joined him to light one of six remembrance candles in London, later writing the foreword to her memoir.
In January 2023, he made her an MBE in the first New Years Honours list of his reign, in recognition of her services to Holocaust education.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace and signed “Charles R”, the monarch said “it was with the greatest sadness” that he had heard of her death.
“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, indeed, for future generations – of the depths of depravity and evil to which humankind can fall, when reason, compassion and truth are abandoned,” he said.
“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, which will never be forgotten.”
In 2021, he used the foreword of Ms Ebert’s memoir, Lily’s Promise, to call for the “invaluable” testimony of Holocaust survivors to become enshrined in the memory of future generations to ensure its horrors are never forgotten.
Only then, he said, will their experiences of “incomparable inhumanity” remain in the present, rather than being confined to history.
The then Prince of Wales described how he had been personally inspired throughout his own life by survivors’ stories of immense bravery and personal sacrifice.
A year later, in January 2022, the King wrote the foreword for the catalogue of the Seven Portraits: Surviving the Holocaust exhibition, which included a portrait of Ms Ebert by Ishbel Myerscough.
At the unveiling at the Queen’s Gallery in London, Ms Ebert told him: “Meeting you, it is for everyone who lost their lives.”
As he touched her shoulder, he replied: “But it is a greater privilege for me.”
Mrs Ebert co-wrote her book, How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live, with her great-grandson Dov Forman.
This week, my great-grandma, Lily Ebert, a 100-year-old Auschwitz survivor, became a great-great-grandma.
"I never expected to survive the Holocaust. Now I have five beautiful generations. The Nazis did not win!"
From near-death at Auschwitz to five generations of Jewish life. pic.twitter.com/ztcfCsTkIU— Dov Forman (@DovForman) April 11, 2024
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, Mr Forman said the family’s “beloved matriarch”, known as Safta, would be hugely missed.
He wrote: “Over the years, Safta’s story touched hundreds of millions worldwide, reminding 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 out, and the need to stand against prejudice.
“Safta was the queen of our large, loving family. With a surviving daughter and son – remembering a daughter who pre-deceased her – 10 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, her legacy lives on in each of us.
“She rebuilt her life with faith and love, never 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.
“As we mourn our beloved Mummy, 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.”
Ms Ebert, the eldest of six children, was freed from Auschwitz at the age of 20, almost 80 years ago, as her mother and two younger siblings were killed in the gas chambers.
She spent a year in Switzerland before moving in 1946 to Israel, then under British rule in Palestine.
She migrated to the UK in 1967 with her husband, Samuel, and began a life of educating the world about the horrors of the Holocaust.
In 2016, Ms Ebert was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Holocaust education and awareness.
Karen Pollock, the chief executive of Holocaust Educational Trust, described Ms Ebert as “the epitome of strength and determination” who will be remembered for her “incredible story, her unparalleled tenacity and her zest for life”.
