A striking mural of Lily Ebert, the Holocaust survivor who touched millions with her testimony and resilience, has been unveiled on Golders Green Road.
The portrait, painted by Israeli street artist Benzi Brofman, features Ebert’s serene smile alongside the words, “Where there is life, there is hope.” It has already drawn attention and tributes from passersby, many of whom remember Ebert as one of the UK’s most powerful voices in Holocaust education.
Ebert died on 9 October 2024 at the age of 100, surrounded by her family at home in London. She had survived Auschwitz, losing her mother, younger sister and brother to the gas chambers upon arrival in July 1944. She and her two surviving sisters were selected for forced labour and were later liberated near Leipzig.
Lily Ebert with her great-grandson Dov Forman
After the war, Ebert settled in Britain, where she became a tireless advocate for Holocaust remembrance, speaking in schools and synagogues and, more recently, to a global audience via social media.
Her great-grandson, Dov Forman, helped share her story with younger generations on TikTok, and the pair co-authored the bestselling memoir Lily’s Promise.
Lily’s great-grandson Dov Forman with artist Benzi Brofman and family members at the completed mural site
Speaking to Jewish News, Forman said, “My great-grandmother spent her life reliving the horrors of the Holocaust, what she saw and endured, so the world would never forget. She believed that by sharing her story, humanity could learn from the worst crime in history. She made herself a promise in Auschwitz: that if she survived, she would tell the world what happened.
“So, when Benzi Brofman reached out and said he wanted to create this mural, I knew there was no better way to honour her legacy and the extraordinary life she lived than to have it here, in the place she loved to call home.”
He added, “Though she may be gone, her legacy and memory live on. She rose from the ashes of Auschwitz with resilience and purpose, and now it’s so special to see her story and face framed in paint, the heart of Golders Green.”
The mural has been warmly received by the community, with many describing it as a fitting tribute to a woman whose life symbolised survival, strength, and hope.
