Holocaust Camp Survivor Eva Schloss Passes Away at 96 Years Old as The Monarch Pays Tributes
The King has led tributes to Anne Frank's step-sister and survivor of the Holocaust Eva Schloss, who passed away at the age of 96.
"We both are greatly saddened to hear of the passing of Eva Schloss," wrote the King in a message posted on social media.
He continued, "The atrocities that she experienced as a teenager are difficult to comprehend and yet she devoted the remainder of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, fostering 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 Queen Camilla serves as Patron.
In the Second World War era, 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 infamous Auschwitz death camp.
The Anne Frank Trust said Mrs Schloss passed away in London on 3 January. "In her youth, Eva Schloss-Geiringer lived in Amsterdam, opposite Anne Frank's home," the trust noted.
Survival and Loss
When Mrs Schloss and her mother were liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945, they were clinging to life. Her father and brother both perished in the camps.
After being returned to Amsterdam, her mother Elfriede—called 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 dedicated her life to trying to prevent history from repeating itself.
- As a founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, she safeguarded Anne Frank's memory and informed people about the Holocaust.
- Frank's internationally famous 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 spreading a message not to hate.
"I worked very, very hard to alter people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss once said. "Each person you convince not to be racist is a step forward."
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.
