LONDON—Eva Schloss, a Holocaust survivor and the stepsister of Anne Frank, has passed away at the age of 96. Schloss, who dedicated her life to educating others about the atrocities of the Holocaust, died on Saturday in London, where she had resided for many years.
The Anne Frank Trust UK, of which Schloss was the honorary president, announced her death. In a heartfelt tribute, King Charles III expressed his gratitude for having known her and recognized her significant contributions to Holocaust education and the fight against bigotry. The king praised her for transforming the painful experiences of her youth into a lifelong advocacy for kindness, understanding, and resilience.
Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna in 1929, Schloss fled Nazi-occupied Austria with her family, eventually settling in Amsterdam. There, she befriended Anne Frank, whose diary has become a poignant symbol of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust. Both families went into hiding for two years to escape capture by the Nazis, yet they were ultimately betrayed and deported to Auschwitz.
Schloss and her mother, Fritzi, were among the few to survive the hellish conditions of the camp, which was liberated by Soviet forces in 1945. Tragically, her father, Erich, and her brother, Heinz, perished in Auschwitz. After the war, Schloss moved to Britain, where she built a new life and married Zvi Schloss, a fellow Jewish refugee.
In a twist of fate, her mother later married Otto Frank, the only member of Anne Frank’s family to survive. Anne herself died from typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at just 15 years old.
For decades, Schloss refrained from discussing her traumatic experiences, grappling with the emotional toll they had taken on her. In a 2004 interview, she reflected on her years of silence, stating that the weight of her past made connection with others nearly impossible.
However, a pivotal moment came in 1986 when she spoke at the opening of an Anne Frank exhibition in London. This marked the beginning of her extensive work to educate future generations about the Holocaust. Over the years, she delivered speeches in various venues, including schools and prisons, authored several books, and engaged in international conferences focused on remembrance and education.
Schloss continued her advocacy well into her 90s. In 2019, she traveled to California to confront the troubling issue of students making Nazi salutes at a high school gathering. In 2020, she urged social media platforms like Facebook to take action against Holocaust denial.
The message of her life’s work remains clear: the importance of recognizing our shared humanity and confronting hatred. “We must never forget the terrible consequences of treating people as ‘other,’” she emphasized in 2024, advocating for respect and understanding among diverse cultures and beliefs through education.
Her family remembered her as a remarkable figure, emphasizing her unwavering commitment to peace, understanding, and remembrance. They expressed hopes that her legacy continues to inspire future generations through her published works and activism.
Schloss is survived by her three daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her passing marks not only the loss of a vital voice for Holocaust education but also a profound chapter in the ongoing quest to ensure that the lessons of history are never forgotten.
