99-year-old Holocaust survivor awarded MBE by King Charles III

Lily Ebert shot to fame during the pandemic after her great-grandson posted videos of her sharing her stories on TikTok.

By NOA FEIGENBAUM
Updated: FEBRUARY 3, 2023 15:15
Lily Ebert (Left) standing next to her great-grandson Dov Forman (Right) (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Lily Ebert (Left) standing next to her great-grandson Dov Forman (Right)
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert was awarded an MBE at Windsor Castle by King Charles III on Tuesday.

The 99-year-old was awarded as a Member of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her work on Holocaust education.

"My 99-year-old great-grandmother Lily Ebert, an Auschwitz survivor, received her MBE from His Majesty King Charles, at Windsor Castle," Ebert's great-grandson Dov Forman wrote on his Twitter. "Honored to have been by my great-grandmother's side for this special moment."

Lily shot to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic after her great-grandson, Dov, 19, posted videos of her sharing her stories on TikTok. He also interviewed her and wrote their now bestselling memoir called Lily's Promise: Holding On to Hope Through Auschwitz and Beyond - A Story for All Generations.

King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort arrive before meeting with genocide survivors at Buckingham Palace, London, to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, in Britain January 27, 2023 (credit: VICTORIA JONES/POOL VIA REUTERS)
King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort arrive before meeting with genocide survivors at Buckingham Palace, London, to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, in Britain January 27, 2023 (credit: VICTORIA JONES/POOL VIA REUTERS)

"For so long, my great-grandmother has shared her incredibly harrowing Holocaust testimony and spent so much time going up and down the country educating young children about her story, educating through the book that we wrote together,"

Dov Forman

Dov told People magazine that four generations of their family attended the event to watch as Lily accepted the award.

"For so long, my great-grandmother has shared her incredibly harrowing Holocaust testimony and spent so much time going up and down the country educating young children about her story, educating through the book that we wrote together," Dov said to People. "There's so much hard work that's been put into this and I think it's entirely appropriate that now at 99 years old, she has been awarded this honor. As we see antisemitism rising, now is the perfect time for her to be honored in this way."

Dov spoke with the Jewish Chronicle about the moments with the King. "I walked up with Lily. We spoke to him for quite a few minutes. Usually, it's a very short conversation but I shared a few words with him," he said.

When speaking to the King, Dov asked if he would be allowed to recite a Jewish blessing traditionally made when in the presence of royalty. With the King's approval, Dov recited the blessing. He said the King "kind of bowed his head, but not entirely and listened as I said the Bracha. He turned around and said 'I've heard that tradition a few times'. It was really special."

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"Just seeing my great-grandmother speaking today, with tears running down her face saying how she never thought she'd ever make it, was really, really special and that MBE means so much to her," Dov continued as he spoke to the Jewish Chronicle.

When speaking to People, Dov explained how the King approached Lily.

"Lily is now in a wheelchair, so [the King] leaned right down, holding her hand whilst he was talking to her," he said. "He presented her with the honor and then was just asking her how she was doing. She said to him how she never thought she would survive the hell of Auschwitz-Birkenau and now to be here with the King in the palace, it's so special. And how the award is for all the work of all the survivors."

Lily was 20 years old when she was taken to Auschwitz from Hungary toward the end of the war. She spent a year in Switzerland after being liberated and then moved to Israel in 1946. She moved to the UK in 1967 with her husband and has been there since.

"Words cannot explain how much this means to me," Lily said at the ceremony. "I promised myself that if I survived, I would tell the whole world what happened to us in Auschwitz, that there were people killed for no other reason than their beliefs because we were believed not to be worthy of life."

Many people around the world celebrate her award

Humans of Judaism tweeted a picture of Lily and the King as he leaned down next to her to give her the award and wrote "Mazal Tov Lily Ebert MBE!"

The official Twitter account for the Embassy of Israel in London tweeted a picture of Lily and Dov standing in front of Windsor Castle. "Mazal Tov to our dear friend, Lily Ebert, on receiving her MBE from His Majesty The King," they wrote.

"Congratulations to our friend, Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert who received her MBE today - so well deserved," the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust wrote on their Twitter.

The Royal Family shared a clip of Lily receiving the award from The King with the caption, "'How can I explain the unexplainable? It is a very special honor.' Lily Ebert is one of the UK's last living Auschwitz survivors and has devoted her life to educating people about the Holocaust. This week, she was awarded an MBE for her work by The King at Windsor."

The National Jewish Assembly (NJA) in the UK wrote, "A massive Mazel Tov to Lily Ebert on receiving her MBE. Holocaust education is so important and Lily has educated millions of people about the Holocaust, through social media, speaking events and her book. She truly deserves such an honor."

"The story of the Jewish people is one of peaks and valleys. Today, surely, your grandmother stands upon the mountain top," the World Jewish Congress tweeted.



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