Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss, known as the stepsister of Anne Frank and a dedicated advocate for Holocaust education, has passed away at the age of 96. The Anne Frank Trust UK, where Schloss served as honorary president, confirmed her death in London, where she resided.
King Charles expressed his admiration for Schloss, whom he described as a source of inspiration. He highlighted her resilience in the face of unimaginable suffering during her youth and her lifelong commitment to combating prejudice and promoting kindness and understanding through her work with the Anne Frank Trust UK and Holocaust education globally.
Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna in 1929, Schloss and her family fled to Amsterdam following the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. There, she befriended Anne Frank, a fellow Jewish girl, whose diary later became a renowned testament of the Holocaust.
Like the Frank family, Schloss and her family went into hiding for two years in the Netherlands to evade capture by the Nazis. Unfortunately, they were eventually discovered, arrested, and sent to Auschwitz. Schloss and her mother, Fritzi, managed to survive until the camp’s liberation in 1945, but her father, Erich, and brother Heinz perished in Auschwitz.
After the war, Schloss relocated to Britain, where she married Zvi Schloss, a German Jewish refugee, and settled in London. In a poignant connection, her mother later married Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, who was the sole survivor of his immediate family. Tragically, Anne Frank passed away from typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the age of 15, shortly before the war’s end.
For decades, Schloss remained silent about her wartime ordeals, attributing her reticence to the trauma she endured. However, after speaking at an Anne Frank exhibition in London in 1986, she dedicated herself to educating future generations about the Holocaust. She engaged in school visits, prison talks, international conferences, and authored books like “Eva’s Story: A Survivor’s Tale by the Stepsister of Anne Frank.”
Even in her 90s, Schloss continued her advocacy efforts. In 2019, she confronted teenagers photographed making Nazi salutes in Newport Beach, Calif., and in the following year, she campaigned for the removal of Holocaust-denying content from Facebook. Emphasizing the importance of education and tolerance, Schloss urged for the acknowledgment of diversity and the need to coexist peacefully.
Described by her family as a remarkable woman and a dedicated Holocaust educator, Schloss leaves behind a legacy that they hope will continue to inspire future generations through her written works and advocacy. Eva Schloss is survived by her three daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, following the passing of her husband, Zvi Schloss, in 2016.