The TikTok account of 97-year-old Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert was recently swamped by a deluge of anti-Semitic messages by pro-Palestinian users after she wished her 90,000 followers “Shabbat Shalom.”
The recent round of hostilities between Israel and Gaza’s terrorist factions prompted a wave of anti-Semitism online, including against Ebert, a London resident who uses her TikTok social media account to answer questions about her life and survival in the Auschwitz death camp.
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A screenshot showing some of the abusive messages Lily Ebert received on her TikTok page
(Photo: Campaign Against Antisemitism)
Ebert, who rose to prominence 18 months ago after she survived a bout of COVID-19, was sent messages expressing sorrow for her survival in the Holocaust and during the pandemic, as well as ones blaming her for the recent war and destruction in Gaza.
“How are you still alive,” wrote one user. “Peace be upon Hitler,” and “Happy Holocaust,” wrote others.
“Ask her if she thinks the treatment of Palestinians reminds her [of] the treatment she got in the camp,” another commenter said. Among the messages received were also numerous calls to “Free Palestine.”
Ebert’s great-grandson, Dov Forman, who helps her maintain her TikTok account, said: “We will not allow this to stop us from educating about the horrors of the past, and what hatred can lead to. Hate only breeds hate.”
Ebert herself also expressed horror over the recent bombardment of hateful content.
“I am a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor. I never in my life thought that today I would have to deal with such terrible anti-Semitism.”
According to the government, there has been an alarming increase in the number of anti-Semitic remarks online.
Lily Ebert discusses the recent social media attacks
"In Germany, for example, we saw an 800% jump, and that's after social networks managed to take down some of the anti-Semitic content," the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs said.
The Anti-Defamation League, which fights against anti-Semitism around the world, said that since the Gaza fighting began on May 10, no less than 17,000 messages of "Hitler was right" have been posted on Twitter.
Last Edit By רועי יוגב