TIME magazine lists Lily Ebert’s great-grandson Dov among world’s top 100 influencers - The Jewish Chronicle

Dov Forman, great-grandson of the late Lily Ebert MBE, has been included in TIME magazine’s inaugural list of 100 most influential people on the internet.

The British 21-year-old, one of Ebert’s 38 great-grandchildren, was a teenager during the Covid-19 pandemic when he and his Auschwitz-surviving great-grandmother began posting educational videos about the Holocaust, Judaism and antisemitism to TikTok. The account soon turned viral, reaching over a billion views across all platforms and amassing more than 2 million followers.

Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert (L) stands with her her great-grandson Dov Forman as she poses with her medal after being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), January 31, 2023. (Credit: ANDREW MATTHEWS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Dov found out he had made TIME’s 100 most influential list just last weekend. Speaking to the JC on his way to New York City for a TIME party with all the featured creators, Dov said it is a “huge honour” to be included “alongside some of the most recognisable names on the internet”.

“What began as a lockdown project with my great-grandmother, sharing her Holocaust testimony on TikTok, has grown into something far greater than I could have ever imagined,” he said. “Social media has allowed us – and now countless others – to educate a whole new generation about the Holocaust in ways that are accessible, engaging, and urgently needed in today’s world.

“With rising antisemitism and distortion of history, this work feels more important than ever. I’m deeply humbled that TIME has recognised the small part I’ve played in this wider effort – one that spans generations and is bigger than any one person or platform.”

Dov Forman has been listed in TIME magazine's inaugural list of 100 most influential online creators (Credit: Dov Forman/Facebook)[Missing Credit]

Born in Hungary, Lily Ebert, was 20 years old when she was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944, whereupon her mother, younger brother and younger sister were all immediately murdered in the gas chambers. After the camp was liberated, Ebert travelled to Switzerland and later to Israel, where she married and had three children before settling in London in the 1960s.

She rose to unexpected internet fame during the Covid19 lockdown when she and Dov set up a TikTok account for her to share her powerful story and recollections with the world. The account soon turned viral and amassed more than 2 million followers.

In 2021, she co-authored her bestselling memoir ‘Lily’s Promise: How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live’ which includes a forward by then-Prince Charles.

Dov Forman with his great-grandmother, Lily Ebert [Missing Credit]

A founder member of the UK’s Holocaust Survivor Centre, Ebert received an MBE for services to Holocaust education in 2023 and passed away in October last year at the age of 100.

Explaining Dov’s inclusion in the list of the world’s most influential online creators, TIME wrote that through him Lily Ebert’s story “continues to reach millions through social media”. Her videos describe “aspects of her experience at the Auschwitz concentration camp, including the prisoner tattooed on her forearm and how extreme malnourishment prevented many women from menstruating.

“With a new report estimating that 70 per cent of Holocaust survivors will no longer be alive in the next decade, Forman and Ebert’s digital storytelling serves as a tool for remembrance and education.”

Dov appears in TIME’s list alongside creators such as podcast host Joe Rogan, playwright Josh Harmon, and YouTuber MrBeast.

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Topics:

Lily Ebert

Dov Forman

TIME 100