HARI TRACK: THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TIKTOK IS HOME TO THE LATEST VIRAL CHALLENGES AND DANCES… 

SOT TIKTOK VIDEOS

HARI TRACK: AND TO 84 YEAR OLD TOVA FRIEDMAN OR AT TOVATOK, WHO HAS MORE THAN FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND FOLLOWERS AND MILLIONS OF VIEWS.

SOT TIKTOK VIDEOS:“Hi my name is Tova Friedman and I am a holocaust survivor// When I came to Auschwitz I was five and a half./ I was in a camp about seven months.

HARI TRACK: THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TIKTOK IS HOME TO THE LATEST VIRAL CHALLENGES AND DANCES…  

SOT TIKTOK VIDEOS 

HARI TRACK: AND TO 84-YEAR-OLD TOVA FRIEDMAN, WHO HAS MORE THAN FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND FOLLOWERS AND MILLIONS OF VIEWS. 

SOT TIKTOK VIDEOS: “Hi my name is Tova Friedman and I am a holocaust survivor// When I came to Auschwitz I was five and a half./ I was in a camp about seven months./How do you feel about antisemitism today? 

HARI: WITH THE HELP OF HER GRANDSON ARON, FRIEDMAN TELLS HER SURVIVAL STORY AS A YOUNG JEWISH CHILD IN POLAND DURING THE HOLOCAUST. 

SOT TOVA TIK TOK: And to every one of you who wishes to learn about the Holocaust, thank you. On behalf of all the refugees, all the survivors.  

HARI: When did you get this idea to put her on TikTok. 

ARON: So I noticed a lot of antisemitism on social media Holocaust denial, Holocaust distortion and misinformation throughout social media, but it was a big issue on TikTok specifically. I’ve noticed more and more that social media isn’t being used to share, you know, isn’t just being used to share funny memes or whatever it is. Now it’s being used to spread cultures and ideas and messages.  

HARI TRACK: IN 1944, FRIEDMAN’S FAMILY WAS PUT ON A TRAIN FOR 36 HOURS HEADED TO AUSCHWITZ, THE DEADLIEST NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP…WHERE MORE THAN ONE POINT ONE MILLION PEOPLE WERE KILLED. 

ARON: Wait, isn’t that your book?  

HARI TRACK: FRIEDMAN WROTE ABOUT HER EXPERIENCES IN A BOOK CALLED “THE DAUGHTER OF AUSCHWITZ. SHE RECOUNTS THOSE STORIES AND ANSWERS QUESTIONS ON HER TIKTOK ACCOUNT. 

SOT TOVA TIKTOK: “This is my number, 27633, I had no name, I had a number… 

HARI: Do you remember the tattooing? 

TOVA: It was this 18 year old young woman, Jewish. Jewish, told you the Jews did all the dirty work. And she tattooed me, and she first asked my name. I told her, she said, No, that’s not your name. Now, I’ll tell you what your name is. She had a list. Each child had to have a list of your name? And she said it’s 27,633. I remember it distinctly, her putting the needle in ink and putting it in. And her hands were shaking. She really didn’t want to do it. And there must have been 50 or 60 Kids, all tattooed. And then she was killed. Because the job was done. 

HARI: You’ve grown up your whole life, hearing the stories about what your grandmother went through what her family went through, and you’re scrolling through your phone. And you see a denier getting likes. What does that do to you? 

ARON: I’m outraged. It’s awful to see. People deny a part of history, but they’re not just denying history. They’re trivializing our people and what we’ve been through and the effect that the Holocaust has on the society and hate today. 

HARI: We’re now in a time where there are people questioning whether you even went through this. 

TOVA: People ask me, what would I do with the deniers just ignore them. I like to see them wither on the vine and not have publicity.  

HARI: Are you concerned that those people have been able to use the internet to spread their misinformation their disinformation. 

TOVA: Terrible, terrible, very scary. This is why I’m so happy that my grandson is almost negating this, millions of people watching and looking at my number. Young people, young, people who know nothing about any of this, who could be very easily influenced by the deniers. That’s what’s so scary. It’s our job to undo it as much as possible. To tell them the truth, and to help them be better people also, because that hatred doesn’t help them any at all.  

ARON: Well, when you share a story, it’s personal, right? It’s harder to learn history through a textbook, but it’s it makes so much more sense when it’s when it’s in front of you. 

ARON (READING): Dear Tova, I’m a history teacher in South Africa and I’m currently teaching my students about World War Two and the Holocaust. I would like to thank you for all your videos. It makes it so much tangible for my students, when they see your videos and it makes it more accessible to them. You’re truly making such a big impact in many lives, and I admire that. I admired that so very much. 

TOVA: How wonderful. 

HARI: When your grandson says I want you to be on TikTok, what did you think he was talking about? 

TOVA: You really want to know? My daughter works for a company Tic Tac- it’s a candy company, so I said to myself, what would a candy company what could they want about the Holocaust? I’ve never heard of TikTok. 

HARI: You’re kind of sharing your grandma.  

ARON: Yeah. I’m sharing her with the world.