A savvy teen finds social media stardom for his Holocaust survivor savta

Photos: Mendel Photos

Mrs. Lily Ebert, a 97-year-old great-grandmother, has been sharing her Holocaust experiences for decades in all sorts of public forums. But it was still quite a surprise when, aided by her 17-year-old great grandson Dov Forman — she became one of the most unlikely stars on the TikTok social media platform.

TikTok, a short-form, 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, dance, and pranks. 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?

The mostly young followers of Mrs. Lily Ebert have watched the petite near-centenarian (she’ll be 98 in December) light her Shabbos candles, listen to shofar blowing, share lighthearted moments in her garden, celebrate her miraculous recovery from COVID, and answer painful questions of her incarceration in Auschwitz, honoring her irrefutable testimony, as deep springs of pain bubble to the surface. It might have been 77 years ago, but the horror, and the lessons, can still be transmitted.

How 17-year-old Dov Forman has teamed up with his elderly great-grandmother to share her Holocaust testimony, Jewish values, and love of life with today’s generation via social media seems like the entwinement of strong yet time-worn fiber with spry, youthful strands. In person, however, I recalibrate. Lily Ebert is 97, but she has a youthful exuberance. 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, London.