Remembering Eva Schloss: A Tireless Advocate for Holocaust Education and Survivor of Auschwitz

Eva Schloss, the stepsister of the famous diarist Anne Frank and a dedicated educator on the Holocaust, has passed away at the age of 96. Her death occurred on Saturday, January 3, in London, where she had been residing. The Anne Frank Trust UK, of which she was an honorary president, confirmed her passing. King Charles III expressed his admiration for Schloss, noting he felt privileged to have known her. He highlighted her commitment to helping young people combat prejudice through the charitable trust she co-founded. Reflecting on her harrowing experiences during the Holocaust, the King remarked, 'The horrors that she endured as a young woman are impossible to comprehend. Yet she devoted the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding, and resilience through her tireless work for the Anne Frank Trust UK and for Holocaust education across the world.' Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna in 1929, Schloss fled with her family to Amsterdam following the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. During this time, she became friends with Anne Frank, another Jewish girl of her age. Both families were forced into hiding to escape capture after the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, and both were ultimately betrayed, leading to their arrest and transportation to Auschwitz. Schloss and her mother, Fritzi, managed to survive until the camp was liberated in 1945. Tragically, her father, Erich, and her brother, Heinz, lost their lives at Auschwitz. After the war, Schloss moved to Britain, where she married Zvi Schloss, a German Jewish refugee, and eventually settled in London. In a poignant turn of fate, her mother married Otto Frank, Anne's father, the lone survivor of his family. Although Schloss refrained from publicly discussing her traumatic experiences for many years, stating she felt withdrawn and unable to connect with others, her turning point came in 1986 when she spoke at the opening of an Anne Frank exhibition in London. This moment ignited her mission to educate future generations about the Nazi genocide. Over the decades, she shared her story in schools, prisons, at international conferences, and through her autobiography, 'Eva's Story: A Survivor's Tale by the Stepsister of Anne Frank.' Her advocacy efforts extended into her 90s, as she remained actively engaged in discussions surrounding Holocaust denial and educational reform. In 2019, she traveled to Newport Beach, California, to meet with teenagers involved in a troubling incident where they were photographed making Nazi salutes at a party. The subsequent year, she joined a campaign urging Facebook to eliminate Holocaust-denying content from its platform. Schloss was vocal about the necessity of remembrance, stating, 'We must never forget the terrible consequences of treating people as other. We need to respect everybody's races and religions. We need to live together with our differences. The only way to achieve this is through education, and the younger we start, the better.' Her family remembered her as an extraordinary woman, an Auschwitz survivor, and a vital force for Holocaust education, committed to remembrance and understanding. The family expressed hope that her legacy would continue to inspire through the numerous books, films, and educational resources she leaves behind. Eva Schloss is survived by her husband, Zvi, who passed away in 2016, alongside their three daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2