Holocaust Survivor Eva Schloss Dies at 96 Years Old as King Charles Leads Tributes
The King has led tributes to Anne Frank's step-sister and Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, who passed away at the age of 96.
"We both are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Eva Schloss," stated the King in a message posted on social media.
He added, "The atrocities that she experienced as a young woman are impossible to comprehend and yet she devoted the remainder of her life to fighting hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience."
A Life Committed to Education
Mrs Schloss was the co-founder and honorary head of the Anne Frank Trust, an organization where Queen Camilla serves as Patron.
In the 1940s, Mrs Schloss and her family were chased from their home in Austria. They existed as displaced persons in the Netherlands before being captured and sent to the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp.
The Anne Frank Trust announced Mrs Schloss passed away in London on 3 January. "As a girl, Eva Schloss-Geiringer resided in Amsterdam, opposite Anne Frank's home," the trust noted.
Survival and Tragedy
When Mrs Schloss and her mother were freed by the Red Army in January 1945, they were barely alive. Her brother and father both died in captivity.
After being repatriated to Amsterdam, her mother Elfriede—called Fritzi—married Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, who had also managed to survive internment by the Nazis.
A Lasting Legacy
Over the past 40 years, Mrs Schloss devoted her efforts to trying to prevent history from happening again.
- As a founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, she safeguarded Anne Frank's memory and informed people about the Holocaust.
- Frank's widely-read diary—a personal testimony of life for Jewish people under Nazi occupation—has sold over 30 million copies.
- Mrs Schloss often travelled across Europe, speaking to young people in particular and spreading a message of tolerance.
"I have worked very, very hard to alter people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss once said. "Each person you convince not to be racist is a positive."
Subsequent Years
In 1951, Mrs Schloss moved to London to learn photography. There she met her husband, Zvi Schloss, a German Jew who had fled to Palestine during the war.
The couple made London their home and became UK citizens. Mr Schloss died in London in 2016. They are survived by their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.
