The duty
of sharing stories
Dov Forman
Lockdown has certainly been a challenging experience for both myself and for my great-grandmother, Lily Ebert - a survivor of Auschwitz, Nazi-enforced slave labour and the death march. It’s brought to light the fragility of life, and as a result of this, I’ve been approaching my visits with my great-grandmother as opportunities to learn as much as I can about her story. Not only has lockdown renewed my appreciation for the life we get to live, but has also made me realise that educating myself on my great grandmother’s past is a race against time. It will soon be the responsibility of my generation to pass on her legacy and her story.
Consequently, I’ve been determined to collect all the tangible evidence I possibly can whilst I still have the chance. I hope to use this evidence - in the form of photos and videos - in order to make information about my great-grandmother’s experience more accessible, and to help people understand what it is she had to go through, just for being Jewish.
The keepsake I was shown that touched my heart the most was a German banknote. This banknote was inscribed with ten words of hope and was given to my great-grandmother by her unnamed American liberator in 1945.
On the fifth of July, I posted a picture of this German banknote on Twitter aiming to discover this soldier’s identity. I joked with my great-grandmother that I’d be able to find him within twenty-four hours.
All images in the article courtesy of Dov Forman