98-year-old Auschwitz survivor is using TikTok to share her story with young people
Lily Ebert was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau when she was 20 and now shares her story on TikTok.
We have reached a critical point in history when the opportunity to hear live, first-hand accounts of the Holocaust are quickly dwindling. Those who survived it—and remember it—are now in their 80s, 90s and 100s, and every year their number grows smaller and smaller. We're also at a point where the reality of the Holocaust has been questioned or outright denied, and, as we near a century since the start of the tragedy, much of the values, ideals, and justice the world fought for are quickly being lost.
If you have the opportunity to sit down and talk to a Holocaust survivor, I highly recommend it. Many won't have that opportunity, however, so the next best thing is bearing witness to these stories as they are shared on video. Not to discount the power of written accounts—those are vital, too—but there's something to the human-to-human connection of hearing a person who lived through it speak about their experiences.
Some Holocaust survivors have traveled to give talks to students in schools. But at least one woman who survived the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp is using a more modern means of reaching young people with her story: TikTok.
With the help of her great-grandson (one of her 34 great-grandchildren), 98-year-old Lily Ebert shares brief videos on her TikTok channel describing some of what she experienced during the Holocaust and answers questions viewers ask. She currently has 1.7 million followers.
Ebert was 20 years old when her family was taken from their hometown in Hungary to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the Nazi death camps. Her mother, younger brother and younger sister were immediately taken to the gas chambers and killed. Ebert was sent to work in the camp where she spent four horrifying months.
"People would say 'four months isn't so long,'" she said in one of her videos. "But let me tell you something. Even four minutes was too long."
@lilyebert Reply to @aimeelilyhoff Not human, just numbers 🥺💔#neverforget #auschwitz #holocaust #learnontiktok #holocaustsurvivor #hell #history #viral #jewish
Ebert bears the tattoo of the number she was given—A-10572—on her forearm. "We were not humans," she said. "We were only a number."
@lilyebert Reply to @garylee55786 It was a #hell 💔 #learnontiktok #holocaustsurvivor #neverforget #jew #survivor #important #listenandlearn #viral #97yearold #u
Ebert's story is shared in small pieces on TikTok, which can feel somewhat jarring. But TikTok is where the young folks are and reaching them with personal stories like this might be one of the most effective ways of reaching them.
People ask Ebert lots of questions and she answers some of them in videos. For instance, someone asked if she was scared she was going to die. Her thoughtful pause is as telling as her answer.
@lilyebert Answer to @sofie_slothypanda In #auschwitz you were afraid of #life💔#concentrationcamp #holocaustsurvivor #learnontiktok #askquestions #viral #jew
"In Auschwitz you were not afraid of death," she said. "You were afraid to live."
Some people ask questions that we don't see answered often—details that people might be curious about. In one video, Ebert talked about what it was like to use the bathroom. Toilets were rows of holes in the ground and they were told when they could use them—there was no privacy whatsoever.
She even answered a question about what women did about their periods, explaining that most women didn't have their periods because the physical trauma they endured prevented it.
@lilyebert Reply to @lesbanon We were so weak 🥺#auschwitz #concentrationcamp #holocaust #history #askquestions #learnontiktok #97yearold #jewtok #shabbat #viral
Someone else asked if there were Nazi women at Auschwitz. Ebert said there were—and that sometimes they were worse than the men.
@lilyebert Reply to @reubenlouisg They were worse💔#auschwitz #holocaust #history #learnontiktok #askquestions #survivor #blowthisup #shabbat #shabbos #jewish #u
Another person asked if she encountered any Nazi guards who indicated that they didn't want to be torturing and killing people. Her answer was blunt: A person who was kind would not work in Auschwitz.
@lilyebert Answer to @maeve_5640 No.#auschwitz #hell #learnontiktok #concentrationcamp #blowthisup #viral #holocaust #history #survivor #jew #hungarian #hebrew
Some people might wonder how going through such a heinous experience impacts a person's faith. Her great-grandson asked her if she still believes in God after everything she endured.
@lilyebert Reply to @adrian_petrov.mcu Humans did it. 💔🥺#believe #askquestions #holocaust #history #God #auschwitz #love #viral #survivor #concentrationcamp #u
"Yes, I do," she said. "Because God didn't do it. So-called humans did."
@lilyebert Never forget the horrors of the #holocaust 💔🥺 #holocaustsurvivor #concentrationcamp #jewish #jew #neverforget #history #viral #weremember #auschwitz
Ebert has been back to Auschwitz a few times since she was liberated. It's hard enough for anyone to see the enormous piles of shoes from people who were murdered there. It's harder to imagine what it would be like having seen and smelled the smoke coming from the crematorium there, knowing your loved ones were among those killed.
Ebert's "Ask me anything" posts have become a way for young people to interact with that harrowing chapter of human history in a rarely accessible way. She can choose which questions to answer and give some personal insight into what the Holocaust was like.
"What was the first thing you did after liberation?" someone asked.
@lilyebert A #holocaustsurvivor answers your questions! #askmeanything #learnontiktok #survivor #neverforget #history #oldtok #love #hungarian #forjewpage #fypp
Ebert said she lay down on the floor and fell asleep. Sleep was practically impossible at the camp and she was so tired. Another person asked why she thinks she survived the hell of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
@lilyebert Reply to @jakie971 To be a witness 💔🥺 #holocaustsurvivor #holocaust #auschwitz #97yearold #history #jewishtiktok #weremember #viral #hungarian #fypp
She said she didn't know. "But maybe it was so that I could tell you and thousands of other people what happened there. To be a witness."
"I was really not sure that I would stay alive," Ebert told CBS News in 2022. "It is a miracle that I am here. But I promised myself, however long I will be alive, and whatever I will do in life, one thing is sure, I will tell my story."
@lilyebert Have I ever thought about removing my Auschwitz [tattoo] number? #holocaustsurvivor #98yearold #learnontiktok #tattoo #concentrationcamp #strongwoman #neverforget #history #gmb #holocaustmemorialday #jew #goodmorningbritain #jewish
Ebert was also interviewed on Good Morning Britain in 2022, and was asked if she's ever thought about having the tattoo of her number removed. She said she had never thought about it.
"I want to show the world because to see something or to hear about it makes a big difference. And the world should know how deep they cut, how deep humans can go."
In 2023, Ebert celebrated her 100th birthday with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and of course, all her Internet friends and followers.
Lily Ebert: 100 Years Young 😊💪 Such a special day! 🎂👑❤️ #holocaustsurvivor #100 #greatgrandson #greatgrandma #goodmorningbritain #gmb #itv #richardmadley #ranvirsingh
@lilyebert Lily Ebert: 100 Years Young 😊💪 Such a special day! 🎂👑❤️ #holocaustsurvivor #100 #greatgrandson #greatgrandma #goodmorningbritain #gmb #itv #richardmadley #ranvirsingh
And it was truly beautiful.
Happy birthday Lily ❤️🎂 100 years old!!! #happybirthday #holocaustsurvivor #100yearold
@lilyebert Happy birthday Lily ❤️🎂 100 years old!!! #happybirthday #holocaustsurvivor #100yearold
In late 2024, Lily's great-grandson shared a video on her TikTok alerting the world that the family matriarch had passed away on October 9th, just weeks before what would have been her 101st birthday. Though profoundly sad, many in the comments thanked the family for their honesty, vulnerability, and the joy they spread in the shadow of such dark history.
Lily Ebert, 1923-2024 💔 A light that shone so bright has gone dark.
@lilyebert Lily Ebert, 1923-2024 💔 A light that shone so bright has gone dark.
"She was a beautiful person. Thank you for sharing her with us," one commenter said.
"It has been nothing short of an honour to be a follower of this beautiful woman and her remarkable story. Thank you for your profound strength Lily. May her memory be a blessing🤍," said another.
Thank you, Lily Ebert, for being willing to answer questions to help educate younger generations on the realities of the Holocaust so we can strive to make sure humanity never allows such atrocities to happen again. Her memory most definitely is a blessing.
This article originally appeared three years ago.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."