Eva Schloss, Anne Frank’s stepsister and Auschwitz survivor, dies at 96

Eva Schloss, the stepsister of Anne Frank, a Holocaust survivor, has died at age 96. The Austrian-born woman is now being praised by many, including King Charles. Eva Schloss died in London on January 3, the Anne Frank House UK Trust, which she was co-founder and honorary president of, said in a statement.

“Our deepest sympathies are with her family and friends at this difficult time, in particular with her daughters Jacky, Caroline and Sylvia,” the organization wrote in a statement.

She was remembered as a “dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.”

“Eva was a remarkable woman: an Auschwitz survivor, a devoted Holocaust educator, tireless in her work for remembrance, understanding and peace,” the 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,” the statement continued. “We kindly ask the media and the public to respect our privacy during this difficult time.”

The family statement concluded, “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.”

Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, dead at 96

Eva Geiringer, a jew, was born in Vienna on May 11, 1929. Hitler annexed Austria in March 1938, which instantly brought immediate danger to jews all over the country. Eva, her parents, and her brother moved to Merwedeplein Square in Amsterdam, where Eva met the teenager Anne Frank. They often pålayed in the square, but as the nazis arrived, Eva and her family went into hiding.

After two years, a nurse, who worked for the nazi regime, betrayed the family, and they were discovered. On May 11, 1944, on Eva’s fifteenth birthday, Schloss and his family were deported to the Auschwitz extermination camp. Eva Schloss’ brother, Heinz, and father, Erich, died in the holocaust. Eva and her mother survived, but after the war, she didn’t speak of the traumatic experience. It took 40 years before she revealed what she had been through.

“I talked about this for the first time in 1988, when the exhibition dedicated to Anne Frank came to London. I was far from politics, but I realised that the world had not learned any lessons from the events of 1939 to 1945, that wars continued, that persecution, racism, intolerance still existed. And then I began to share my experience, to call for changes in the world,” Eva said.

Praised by King Charles

Eva Schloss traveled the world to share her horrifying story. She spoke in schools, universities and prisons, fearlessly sharing her knowledge and spreading the word about something that should never, ever happen again.

In 1996, Eva took part in the USC Shoah Foundation Institute’s Visual History Archive project to record her memoirs of events during the Holocaust for educational purposes. She also recorded her life story for the Anne Frank House. Schloss received an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, and the decoration Knight of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

In 2021, her Austrian citizenship was restored. After Eva’s death, King Charles shared an emotional tribute.

“My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the death of Eva Schloss,” the monarch wrote. “The horrors that she endured as a young woman are impossible to comprehend, and yet she devoted the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience through her tireless work for the Anne Frank Trust U.K. and for Holocaust education across the world.”

He concluded, “We are both privileged and proud to have known her, and we admired her deeply. May her memory be a blessing to us all.”

Rest in peace, Eva, and thank you for having the courage and fearlessness to speak about the horrifying events you were forced to live through. Please, share this article on Facebook to honor this holocaust survivor, and one of the bravest souls that has walked the earth.