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The Holocaust survivor who became a Tiktok star

Lily Ebert survived Auschwitz. Now, with the help of her great-grandson Dov, she shares her story with millions of followers on social media.

Lily Ebert was just a teenager when war broke out across Europe. Born into a large Hungarian-Jewish family, she was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp after Germany invaded Hungary in 1944. She survived the ordeal, along with two of her younger sisters. All three went on to build lives after the war; marrying, having large families – but never speaking of the horrors they had experienced.

But after suffering a bereavement in the 1980s, Lily started to revisit her experiences – and began to speak out. Now, at the age of 97, with the help of her great-grandson Dov she has become an unlikely TikTok star, sharing her story with a new generation of followers online. Lily and Dov spoke to Emily Webb about Lily's experiences during the war - and the viral tweet that brought her internet fame.

Andrés Ruzo is a geothermal scientist who grew up in the United States, the son of a Peruvian and Nicaraguan parents. When he used to visit Peru as a boy, his grandfather would tell him tales of mythical places and ancient legends. Little did he know one of those stories would come to life in a very real way. He spoke to Outlook in 2016. 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Presenter: Emily Webb

Photo: Lily Ebert and Dov Forman
Credit: Tereza Červeňová

Available now

41 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Wed 10 Nov 202112:06GMT
  • Wed 10 Nov 202118:06GMT
  • Wed 10 Nov 202123:06GMT
  • Thu 11 Nov 202103:06GMT

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