Remembering Eva Schloss: Holocaust Survivor and Anne Frank's Stepsister Passes at 96

Eva Schloss, who survived Auschwitz and was the stepsister of Anne Frank, attended a news conference in California in early 2019.

Eva Schloss, Holocaust educator and stepsister to famed diarist Anne Frank, has passed away at the age of 96. Her departure was confirmed by The Anne Frank Trust UK, of which she served as honorary president, as she peacefully left us in London, which was her home.

In response to her passing, King Charles III of Britain expressed that he felt both honored and proud to have known Eva, who dedicated her life to combating bigotry through the charitable organization she helped establish.

Reflecting on her life's work, the king remarked on the admirability of her lifelong quest to combat hatred and promote empathy, standing as a beacon during her tenure with the Anne Frank Trust UK and in her worldwide advocacy for Holocaust awareness.

Born as Eva Geiringer in 1929 in Vienna, she and her family fled to Amsterdam following the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. There, she formed a bond with another Jewish girl her age, Anne Frank, whose diary became an iconic record of the Holocaust era.

Mirroring the Frank family, Eva's family also concealed themselves for two years to dodge Nazi apprehension in the Netherlands, only to be eventually discovered and transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Eva and her mother, Fritzi, endured until the Soviet forces liberated the camp in 1945, but tragically, her father Erich and brother Heinz did not survive.

Following the war, Eva settled in Britain with her husband, fellow German-Jewish refugee Zvi Schloss, where they made a home in London.

In 1953, Eva's mother and Anne Frank's father, Otto, married. Otto was the only one among his closest family to endure the war, while Anne Frank perished from typhus at Bergen-Belsen just months before the conflict concluded.

Initially, Eva did not share her wartime experiences. She mentioned later how the trauma had rendered her reticent and disconnected.

In an interview from 2004, she recounted how silence consumed her—first enforced, then self-imposed due to her deep-seated anger toward the world.

Yet, after speaking at the launch of an Anne Frank exhibit in London in 1986, Eva dedicated herself to educating the youth about the Holocaust, sharing her story widely through various platforms such as schools, global conferences, and her autobiographical book, 'Eva's Story.'

Even well into her 90s, her efforts did not cease. In 2019, she personally met with teenagers known for making provocative Nazi gestures at a school event in California, and in the following year she was active in campaigns to urge Facebook to curb Holocaust-denying content.

Eva Schloss strongly believed in never forgetting the dire outcomes of discrimination and stressed the importance of acceptance and harmony across races and religions, urging for educational initiatives to cultivate this understanding early in life.

Her family fondly describes her as a woman of exceptional fortitude, whose contribution to Holocaust remembrance and education was unwavering and instrumental.

Eva Schloss' impact is sure to persist through her numerous publications, documentaries, and educational materials that she leaves behind, continuing to serve as a source of motivation.

Predeceased by her husband Zvi in 2016, Eva Schloss is survived by their three daughters, alongside a legacy carried forth by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.