Auschwitz Camp Survivor Eva Schloss Passes Away at 96 Years Old as The Monarch Leads Tributes
King Charles has offered condolences to Anne Frank's step-sister and Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, who passed away at the age of 96.
"My wife and I are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Eva Schloss," wrote King Charles in a tribute posted on social media.
He continued, "The horrors that she experienced as a teenager are impossible to fathom and yet she devoted the rest of her life to fighting hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience."
A Life Committed to Education
Mrs Schloss was the co-founder and honorary president of the Anne Frank Trust, an organization where the Queen Consort serves as Royal Patron.
In the Second World War era, 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 notorious Auschwitz death camp.
The Anne Frank Trust said Mrs Schloss died in London on 3 January. "In her youth, Eva Schloss-Geiringer lived in Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's home," the trust stated.
Endurance and Loss
When Mrs Schloss and her mother were liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945, they were barely alive. Her brother and father both perished in the camps.
After being returned to Amsterdam, her mother Elfriedeācalled Fritziāmarried 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 dedicated her life to trying to prevent history from happening again.
- As co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, she safeguarded Anne Frank's memory and educated people about the Holocaust.
- Frank's widely-read diaryāa personal testimony of life for Jewish people under Nazi occupationāhas sold more than 30 million copies.
- Mrs Schloss often travelled across Europe, speaking to the youth in particular and promoting a message of tolerance.
"I worked very, very hard to alter people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss remarked in an interview. "Every individual 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 escaped to Palestine during the war.
The couple settled in London and became British citizens. Mr Schloss died in London in 2016. They are survived by their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.
