Auschwitz Camp Survivor Eva Schloss Passes Away at Age 96 as The Monarch Leads Respects
King Charles 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 deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Eva Schloss," stated the King in a tribute shared via social media.
He added, "The horrors that she endured as a young woman are impossible to comprehend and yet she devoted the remainder of her life to fighting hatred and prejudice, fostering kindness, courage, understanding and resilience."
An Existence Dedicated to Awareness
Mrs Schloss was the founding member and honorary head of the Anne Frank Trust, an organization where Queen Camilla serves as Royal 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 apprehended and sent to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.
The Anne Frank Trust said Mrs Schloss died in London on 3 January. "As a girl, Eva Schloss-Geiringer resided in Amsterdam, opposite Anne Frank's home," the trust stated.
Endurance and Tragedy
When Mrs Schloss and her mother were freed by the Red Army in January 1945, they were barely alive. Her father and brother both perished in captivity.
After being returned to Amsterdam, her mother Elfriede—called Fritzi—married Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, who had also managed to survive imprisonment by the Nazis.
An Enduring Impact
Over the past 40 years, Mrs Schloss devoted her efforts to trying to stop 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 over 30 million copies.
- Mrs Schloss often travelled across Europe, addressing the youth in particular and promoting a message not to hate.
"I worked very, very hard to alter people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss once said. "Every individual you persuade not to be racist is a positive."
Subsequent Years
In 1951, Mrs Schloss relocated 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 British citizens. Mr Schloss died in London in 2016. They are remembered by their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.
