Auschwitz Camp Survivor Eva Schloss Passes Away at Age 96 as The Monarch Pays Tributes
The King has offered condolences to the step-sister of Anne Frank and Holocaust survivor 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 tribute posted on social media.
He continued, "The atrocities that she experienced as a teenager are impossible to comprehend and yet she devoted the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience."
An Existence Committed to Awareness
Mrs Schloss was the founding member and honorary president of the Anne Frank educational trust, an organization where the Queen Consort serves as Patron.
In the 1940s, Mrs Schloss and her family were forced from their home in Austria. They existed as displaced persons in the Netherlands before being captured and deported to the notorious Auschwitz death camp.
The Anne Frank Trust announced Mrs Schloss died in London on 3 January. "In her youth, Eva Schloss-Geiringer resided in Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's home," the trust stated.
Endurance and Loss
When Mrs Schloss and her mother were freed by the Soviet army in January 1945, they were barely alive. Her father and brother both died in captivity.
After being returned to Amsterdam, her mother Elfriede—known as Fritzi—wed Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, who had also managed to survive imprisonment by the Nazis.
A Lasting Impact
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 preserved Anne Frank's memory and informed people about the Holocaust.
- Frank's widely-read diary—a first-hand account 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 not to hate.
"I have worked very, very hard to change 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 moved 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 made London their home and became British citizens. Mr Schloss passed away in London in 2016. They are remembered by their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.
