Auschwitz Camp Survivor Eva Schloss Passes Away at Age 96 as The Monarch Pays Tributes

The King has offered condolences to the step-sister of Anne Frank and survivor of the Holocaust Eva Schloss, who passed away at the age of 96.

He added, "The horrors that she endured as a teenager are difficult to comprehend and yet she dedicated the remainder of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, fostering kindness, courage, understanding and resilience."

An Existence Dedicated to Education

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 1940s, Mrs Schloss and her family were chased from their home in Austria. They existed as displaced persons in the Netherlands before being captured and deported to the notorious Auschwitz death camp.

The Anne Frank Trust said Mrs Schloss passed away in London on 3 January. "In her youth, Eva Schloss-Geiringer resided in Amsterdam, opposite Anne Frank's home," the trust noted.

Survival and Tragedy

When Mrs Schloss and her mother were liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945, they were barely alive. Her father and brother both perished in the camps.

After being repatriated to Amsterdam, her mother Elfriede—called Fritzi—wed Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, who had also survived imprisonment by the Nazis.

An Enduring Impact

Over the past 40 years, Mrs Schloss devoted her efforts to trying to prevent history from happening again.

• As a founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, she preserved Anne Frank's memory and informed people about the Holocaust.
• Frank's internationally famous diary—a first-hand account of life for Jewish people under Nazi occupation—has sold over 30 million copies.
• Mrs Schloss often journeyed across Europe, addressing the youth in particular and spreading a message not to hate.

"I worked very, very hard to change people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss once said. "Each person you persuade not to be racist is a step forward."

Subsequent Years

In 1951, Mrs Schloss relocated 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 made London their home and became UK citizens. Mr Schloss passed away in London in 2016. They are survived by their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.