Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss dies aged 96 as King leads tributes

King Charles held a memorial service in memory of Eva Schloss, Anne Frank’s half-sister and Holocaust survivor who died aged 96.

Ms. Schloss was co-founder and honorary president of the Anne Frank Foundation, of which Queen Camilla is Patron.

In the 1940s, Mrs. Schloss and her family were kicked out of their home in Austria. They lived as refugees in the Netherlands before being captured and deported to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.

In a tribute message published on social media, the King wrote: “My wife and I were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Eva Schloss.”

She continued: “It is impossible to fathom the horrors she endured as a young woman, and yet she dedicated the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice and promoting kindness, courage, understanding and resilience through her tireless work for the Anne Frank Trust UK and for Holocaust education around the world.

“We are both privileged and honored to have known him and deeply admire him.

“May his memory be a blessing to us all.”

The Anne Frank Foundation said Ms. Schloss died in London on January 3.

“As a girl, Eva Schloss-Geiringer lived on Amsterdam’s Merwedeplein, opposite Anne Frank’s house,” the foundation said.

“Like the mother, Eva and her family had to hide from the Nazis, and after two years underground they were tracked down, arrested and deported. Eva survived Auschwitz.”

When Mrs. Schloss and her family were liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945, Mrs. Schloss and her mother, Elfriede Frank, were barely alive. His brother and father died in captivity.

Sent back to Amsterdam, Elfriede, known as Fritzi, married Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank, who also managed to survive arrest by the Nazis.

For the past 40 years, Ms. Schloss has dedicated her life to preventing history from repeating itself.

As co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, he preserved the memory of Anne Frank and educated people about the Holocaust.

Frank’s widely read diary – a first-hand account of the life of Jewish people under Nazi occupation – has sold more than 30 million copies, been translated into 70 languages, and is required reading in schools around the world.

Ms. Schloss often traveled around Europe, speaking especially to young people and spreading the message not to hate.

“I worked very hard to change people’s attitudes.” Ms Schloss told the BBC in June 2021..

“Any person you convince not to be a racist is a positive.”

In 1951 Ms Schloss moved to London to study photography.

There she met her husband, Zvi Schloss, a German Jew who had fled to Palestine during the war after his father was imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp.

The couple made London their home and became UK citizens.

Mr Schloss died in London in 2016. The foundation said that the couple left behind their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.