During this week of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember those who were murdered simply for being Jewish. We also honor those who survived and lived to share their firsthand stories of this terrible chapter in history.
One of them, Eva Schloss, recently passed away in the U.K. at the age of 96. She moved with her family from Austria to Amsterdam in 1940 to escape the Nazis. There, she met her neighbor, Anne Frank, who chronicled her life as a Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis in one of the most widely read and beloved books of modern times: The Diary of a Young Girl.
The girls quickly became friends. When the Nazis reached Holland in 1942, both families went into hiding. They were eventually discovered—betrayed by a Dutch collaborator—and sent to Auschwitz. Anne’s father, Otto Frank, was the only member of his family to survive. Eva lost her father and brother, but she and her mother endured. After the war, Eva moved to London, where she met her husband. Eva’s mother also remarried—to Otto, Anne’s father and only survivor of the Frank family.
For 40 years, Eva refused to speak about her experiences during the Holocaust. Then, in 1988, she began sharing her story publicly after an Anne Frank–dedicated exhibition opened in London. Two years later, she founded the Anne Frank Trust with the mission of educating people about the Holocaust. Eva later shared her own experiences in three books written for young audiences. Eva’s Story: A Holocaust Survivor’s Tale by the Stepsister of Anne Frank was her first—and most widely read—book.
“The horrors that [Eva] 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 UK and for Holocaust education across the world,” said King Charles III.
“We must never forget the terrible consequences of treating people as ‘other,’” Eva once said. She believed the best way to fight prejudice was through education, starting at an early age. She was so committed to this mission that she never retired. Even in her 90s, she continued advocating for tolerance and respect, regardless of race or religion.
When we remember the six million Jews who were murdered, we ask ourselves, “How could it possibly have come to this, and how can we ensure it never happens again?” Eva dedicated her life to helping the world understand, and answer, those questions.
