Eva Schloss, Auschwitz survivor, Holocaust educator, and stepsister of Anne Frank, passed away this weekend at the age of 96. Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna, Austria, in 1929, she and her family fled to Amsterdam in 1938 to escape the Nazis. It was there that Eva became friends with Anne Frank.
In May 1944, when Eva was just 15 years old, her family was captured and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Eva and her mother, Fritzi, survived; her father and brother were murdered in the camps. After the war, in 1953, Fritzi married Otto Frank, Anne’s father and the only surviving member of the Frank family, making Eva Anne Frank’s stepsister.
Eventually, Eva settled in London, where she married Zvi Schloss and raised three daughters. In 1990, she co-founded the Anne Frank Trust UK and became a tireless Holocaust educator, speaking around the world to ensure that the lessons of the Shoah would never be forgotten. She authored three books and was honored with an MBE and an honorary doctorate for her work.
Eva Schloss continued educating and bearing witness well into her 90s, dedicating her life to remembrance, tolerance, and standing against hatred. May her memory be a blessing.
