Auschwitz survivor and stepsister of Anne Frank, Eva Schloss, dies aged 96
Her death was confirmed in a tribute in which her family described their “great sadness” at the loss
Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, the stepsister of diarist Anne Frank, has died at the age of 96.
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Mrs Schloss devoted much of her life to speaking in schools, prisons and other international platforms, educating people on the perils of prejudice and intolerance, for which she was awarded an MBE in 2012.
The King said he was “privileged and proud” to have known Mrs Schloss, who co-founded the Anne Frank Trust UK in 1990, to help young people challenge prejudice through learning from Anne Frank and the Holocaust.
Charles, who danced with Mrs Schloss while visiting a Jewish community centre in north London in 2022, said he and the Queen had “admired her deeply”.
Her death was confirmed in a tribute to the Jewish News, in which her family described their “great sadness” at the loss of “our dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother”.
They remembered her as “a remarkable woman: an Auschwitz survivor, a devoted Holocaust educator, tireless in her work for remembrance, understanding and peace”.
Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna in 1929, she moved to Amsterdam with her family in 1940. It was here that the family met the Frank family, and Eva became friends with Anne Frank.
Anne Frank would posthumously become famous for her diary, published after the war.
In 1942, after the Nazis occupied the Netherlands, Eva and her family went into hiding.
On Eva’s 15th birthday in 1944, the Dutch woman who had been hiding Eva’s family had betrayed them and alerted the secret police of their location.
Eva’s father and brother died after they were sent on a death march to Mauthausen Concentration Camp while Eva and her mother spent the war together in Birkenau.
Eva and her mother were liberated by the Soviet Army in 1945 and returned to Amsterdam where they reconnected with Anne’s father Otto Frank, who Eva’s mother would later marry, making Eva Anne Frank’s posthumous stepsister.
Eventually, Eva moved to London and married Zvi Schloss, and the two went on to have three daughters.
In their tribute, her family said: “We hope her legacy will continue to inspire through the books, films and resources she leaves behind.
“We are incredibly proud of all that Eva stood for and accomplished, but right now, we are grieving.
“We kindly ask the media and the public to respect our privacy during this difficult time.
“We hope to hold a memorial event at a later date, and will share further details in due course. We thank everyone for the love and respect shown to Eva over the years.”