My Hero
Szalai Szabina Sára 10GA osztályos tanuló Lily Ebertről szóló kiváló angol esszéje abban az elismerésben részesült, hogy Sári Paul Fox brit nagykövet úrtól meghívást kapott a budapesti Brit Nagyköveti Rezidenciára, ahol lehetősége lesz nagykövet úrral interjút készítenie, illetve megemlékeznek Lily Ebertről, Sári holokauszt hőséről. Gratulálunk!
Lily Ebert a magyarok és a britek számára is egyaránt kiemelkedően fontos személyiség volt. Dédunokájával közösen írt könyve és jelenléte a Tiktokon közelebb hozta a fiatal generáció számára is a holokauszt megértésének fontosságát. Halálakor a Buckingham–palota által közzétett méltatásában III. Károly úgy fogalmazott: büszke arra, hogy Lily Ebert a holokauszt elmondhatatlan borzalmainak túlélőjeként Nagy–Britanniában lelt otthonra. Itt tárta a világ elé azokat a rettenetes atrocitásokat, amelyeknek tanúja volt, és beszámolói folyamatos emlékeztetőként szolgálnak arra, hogy az emberiség a züllöttség és a gonoszság micsoda mélységeibe képes süllyedni, ha nem érvényesül a józan ész, a könyörület és az igazág. A holokauszt más túlélőivel együtt Lily Ebert elválaszthatatlanul a brit nemzet részévé vált, rendkívüli ellenállóképessége és bátorsága mindenki számára példaként szolgál – hangsúlyozta méltatásában III. Károly király.
Sári „My hero” esszéje:
My Hero
There are sadly many victims of this nightmare event that took place in Auschwitz but there are also survivors who were brave enough to talk about their past and share their experience with the world. The story that stood out to me the most was revealed by Lily Ebert, a courageous Hungarian woman who had a horrible past but still managed to find happiness in the UK after all that happened to her.
Lily, as the eldest of six children was a true leader since her childhood. She always loved to be in charge and everyone around her was also happy that way. She had a special connection with her siblings. They went to a strict Jewish primary school but because Lily was really smart and also eager to learn new things she didn’t have any difficulties with it. I believe she had all these qualities that helped her survive the Holocaust.
It was around 1939 when new controlling laws were made against Jews. Jewish women had even less chance of an education beyond school. But Lily was lucky because she was able to graduate from secondary school before the start of her departure. However, Jews were slowly an outcast of society only because of their religion. Lily and her siblings knew little about what was happening in Hungary that time because of their parents’ protectiveness. They were still children and of course their mother wanted them to know less about the dark side of the world as long as possible. In 1941 it was prohibited for a Jew to marry a non-Jew. As an eighteen years old girl Lily was excited about marrying someone soon but in those days less and less boys around their age could be seen in Bonyhád as they were forced to join the Labour Service. So instead of worrying about her love life and future as a young woman, Lily was worried about her brother being taken and that she may never see him again. This made me realize how grateful I should be that I can live my life in peace and my problems seem way smaller.
The first bigger tragedy in their family was when the head of the family, Ahron died. He fell ill and left them in 1942, even reading about the incident was heartbreaking. Before it happened, Lily made a promise with her father that she would take care of her siblings. The weight of responsibility felt even heavier for her now and she was ready to sacrifice everything for her siblings’ well-being.
The horrors began around March of 1944 when soldiers appeared all around Hungary (including Bonyhád) to look for Jewish people and take them to the ghetto. In these places a few families were forced to live in an unbearable environment. But what mattered was that their family was around, and this gave the place comfort and safety and a reason to hold on.
A few months later, in July the situation worsened. After working in a farm, Lily and all the Jewish people in that area were sent to Pécs where somewhat later a train came for them, and they were forced in small wagons. There was no room for anyone and as Lily described, they had to fight for every breath. As survivors described the journey to the camp was worse than the camp itself. I’ve read an article about a baby who was born on the train in my hometown Kisújszállás. Experiencing the death of a newborn is the worst thing that could ever happen to a mother. No words can describe the pain his mother must have felt. This story touched me truly that’s why I wanted to mention it.
When they arrived at Auschwitz, the frightening place that gives almost every human goosebumps nowadays, Lily and her two sisters, René and Piri were separated from their mother and their siblings, Bela and Berta from the start. Inhuman things happened to them, their long, beautiful hair was cut, and they had to shower in front of strangers, the clothes they were given were either far too big or too small. Humans were only a number now, they were deprived from basic rights. Lily put her life at a risk with hiding her mother’s jewellery in her shoes but that was the only memory she had left of her, so she wanted to keep it. Probably many people considered giving up on their life to end their suffering, but Lily put her siblings’ life before hers so she did everything that can prevent them from worrying. It was hard for me to even read about the things these people had to survive so I can’t imagine how hard was it for them to be there.
April of 1945 was the most delightful month for them. After being held in another camp by SS soldiers the girls were finally free. Thanks to their endurance and braveness God was on their side and saved them in time. After the survivors were given a home, an American soldier gave Lily a banknote with a small message on it that said: ,,A start of a new life. Good luck and happiness.” That man probably didn’t think about the impact of this small gesture, but it was the first spontaneous human kindness she experienced after a long time. Lily kept it and many years later she was able to reach out to that man’s family and have a chat with them.
In conclusion, Lily Ebert’s story is extremely inspiring. I’m glad I was able to read her story from a book that she signed herself. It was given to our school as a response to the messages that our students sent for her birthday. May Lily rest in peace and may her story continue to have an influence on every generation. She showed us that this event will always have an impact on people and the survivors of this nightmare are everyday heroes.
