Auschwitz Camp Survivor Eva Schloss Dies at 96 Years Old as The Monarch Leads Tributes
The King has led tributes to the step-sister of Anne Frank and survivor of the Holocaust Eva Schloss, who has died at the age of 96.
"My wife and I are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Eva Schloss," wrote the King in a message shared via social media.
He added, "The horrors that she experienced as a young woman are difficult to comprehend and yet she dedicated the remainder of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience."
A Life Committed to Awareness
Mrs Schloss was the founding member and honorary head of the Anne Frank educational trust, an organization where the Queen Consort serves as Patron.
In the Second World War era, Mrs Schloss and her family were forced from their home in Austria. They lived as refugees in the Netherlands before being captured and deported to the infamous Auschwitz death camp.
The Anne Frank Trust announced Mrs Schloss passed away in London on 3 January. "In her youth, Eva Schloss-Geiringer resided in Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's home," the trust stated.
Endurance and Tragedy
When Mrs Schloss and her mother were liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945, they were barely alive. Her father and brother both perished in the camps.
After being repatriated to Amsterdam, her mother Elfriede—known as Fritzi—married Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, who had also survived imprisonment by the Nazis.
A Lasting Legacy
Over the past four decades, 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 more than 30 million copies.
- Mrs Schloss often journeyed across Europe, speaking to the youth in particular and promoting a message not to hate.
"I have worked very, very hard to alter people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss once said. "Every individual you persuade not to be racist is a step forward."
Subsequent Years
In 1951, Mrs Schloss relocated to London to study photography. There she met her husband, Zvi Schloss, a German Jew who had fled to Palestine during the war.
The couple settled in London and became UK citizens. Mr Schloss passed away in London in 2016. They are remembered by their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.
