Auschwitz Camp Survivor Eva Schloss Dies at Age 96 as King Charles Leads Tributes
The King has offered condolences to the step-sister of Anne Frank and Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, who has died at the age of 96.
"My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the passing of Eva Schloss," wrote the King in a tribute posted on social media.
He continued, "The horrors that she experienced as a young woman are difficult to comprehend and yet she devoted the remainder of her life to overcoming 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 Patron.
In the Second World War era, Mrs Schloss and her family were chased from their home in Austria. They lived as refugees in the Netherlands before being apprehended and deported to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.
The Anne Frank Trust said Mrs Schloss passed away in London on 3 January. "As a girl, Eva Schloss-Geiringer lived in Amsterdam, opposite Anne Frank's home," the trust noted.
Survival and Tragedy
When Mrs Schloss and her mother were freed by the Red Army in January 1945, they were barely alive. Her brother and father both perished in the camps.
After being repatriated to Amsterdam, her mother Elfriede—known as Fritzi—married Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, who had also survived imprisonment by the Nazis.
A Lasting Impact
Over the past 40 years, Mrs Schloss devoted her efforts to trying to stop history from repeating itself.
- As a founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, she safeguarded Anne Frank's memory and educated people about the Holocaust.
- Frank's internationally famous diary—a personal testimony of life for Jewish people under Nazi occupation—has sold over 30 million copies.
- Mrs Schloss often journeyed across Europe, addressing young people in particular and promoting a message of tolerance.
"I worked very, very hard to alter people's attitudes," Mrs Schloss once said. "Every individual you convince not to be racist is a step forward."
Later Life
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 British citizens. Mr Schloss died in London in 2016. They are remembered by their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.
