A BOOK REVIEW By Gill Sherry
It all started with a Tweet:
Yesterday my great-grandma (Lily Ebert – an Auschwitz survivor) showed me this banknote – given to her as a gift by a soldier who liberated her. Inscribed, it says “A start to a new life. Good luck and happiness.”
Although Lily had promised herself many years before that she would tell the world exactly what happened at Auschwitz, the opportunity to do so never actually presented itself. Besides, who would believe the unbelievable?
…the best way to protect ourselves once the war was over was simply to keep quiet.
Lily is a founder member of the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre and this story, told as a direct result of her great-grandson’s Tweet (or more accurately, the response to it) is a moving account of what she endured at the hands of the Nazis.
Lily was just 20 years old when she arrived at Auschwitz. Having visited the site myself, I had some idea of the horrors that had taken place. But Lily’s story does more than scratch the surface, it gets right under the skin.
With one glance at you, this man gestured with his stick to the right or to the left. What this meant, we had no idea.
The sub-title of the book – How I Survived Auschwitz And Found The Strength To Live – promises emotion and horror, the name of the infamous death camp enough to conjure images of unspeakable atrocities before you even turn a page. But speak of them she does.
I didn’t know that the stench was burning flesh and bones.
It’s a disturbing tale of cruelty and dehumanization. It describes the abhorrent conditions in which she was forced to travel, the gruelling work she was tasked with, and the small acts of defiance that gave her the strength and courage to go on. It also builds suspense despite what the reader may or may not already know about the Holocaust.
Lily believes her faith gave her the will to survive and talks a great deal about her family and the human spirit. She thanks her parents for her unwavering faith and sees the same values and beliefs in her own children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, supporting the theory that ‘babies were the best revenge against Hitler’.
Three chapters of the book are told from her great-grandson’s perspective. Dov’s natural curiosity and desire to protect his great-grandmother combine to form poignant words that are both heart-breaking and uplifting.
Lily’s story is becoming part of me. It’s hard to explain. I don’t just know it; I feel it, deep inside.
There’s no denying that this powerful memoir is a difficult read but it does exactly what it intended to do: testify, educate and honour. At 97 years old, Lily has finally unearthed her buried pain, uncovered the truth behind her blue-inked tattoo (A-10572), and delivered on her promise to tell the world what really happened.
It’s hard to believe, almost eight decades later, that innocent people are still being displaced by war. Lives are still being lost, families are still being destroyed. It’s a harrowing thought for us all but for Lily Ebert, especially so.
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Book Title: Lily’s Promise
Author: Lily Ebert and Dov Forman
Publisher: Macmillan
Date of publication: 02/09/2021
