On January 3, 2026, Eva Schloss, the stepsister of Anne Frank and a revered Holocaust survivor and educator, died peacefully in London at the age of 96. Her passing marks the end of a remarkable life dedicated to remembrance, education, and the fight against hatred and prejudice. The tributes that have poured in from across the world, including from King Charles III and Queen Camilla, reflect the indelible mark Eva left on Holocaust education and on all who encountered her story.
Eva Schloss was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1929, just a few months before Anne Frank. The two girls would later become neighbors in Amsterdam after Eva's family fled the Nazis. According to Jewish News, both families went into hiding on the same day in 1942, a desperate measure to escape the growing threat of Nazi persecution. Tragically, Eva’s family was betrayed in 1944 and sent to concentration camps. While Eva and her mother survived Auschwitz, her father and brother were murdered—an unimaginable loss that would shape the rest of her life.
After the war, Eva and her mother returned to Amsterdam. In a twist of fate that would forever connect the two families, Eva’s mother, Elfriede (Fritzi), married Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank and her sister Margot, in 1953. Eva herself married Zvi Schloss and the couple eventually settled in England, becoming British citizens. In 2021, at the age of 92, Eva reclaimed her Austrian citizenship as a gesture of reconciliation, stating, “The Austrians are sorry about what has happened. We can’t carry on the hatred and discrimination any more. The Nazis are not with us.” She maintained dual citizenship, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging the past while promoting forgiveness and unity.
For over 40 years after her liberation, Eva Schloss remained silent about her experiences in Auschwitz. It wasn’t until the late 1980s that she began to share her story publicly, a decision that would ultimately touch countless lives. As she told the BBC, “I have worked very, very hard to change people’s attitudes. Each person you convince not to be racist is a positive.” Her commitment to education and remembrance became the cornerstone of her life’s work.
Eva co-founded the Anne Frank Trust UK in 1990, an educational charity devoted to teaching young people about the Holocaust, antisemitism, and prejudice. The Trust’s impact has been profound: in 2024 alone, it worked with over 132,000 young people through its Schools Programme and trained nearly 5,300 as peer educators. More than 45,000 young people have completed the Trust’s peer scheme, carrying forward Eva’s message of tolerance and understanding. Queen Camilla, who became the Trust’s Royal Patron in January 2024, worked closely with Eva, further amplifying the charity’s reach and influence.
King Charles III, who had danced with Eva and other Holocaust survivors during a 2022 visit to a Jewish community center, issued a deeply personal tribute upon her death. In a statement released by PA Media Agency, he said, “My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the death of Eva Schloss. 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 UK and for Holocaust education across the world. We are both privileged and proud to have known her and we admired her deeply. May her memory be a blessing to us all.”
Eva’s family, led by her daughters Jacky, Caroline, and Sylvia, described her as “a remarkable woman: an Auschwitz survivor, a devoted Holocaust educator, tireless in her work for remembrance, understanding and peace.” They expressed their pride in her achievements and asked for privacy during their time of grief, noting that a memorial event will be held at a later date.
Throughout her later years, Eva Schloss spoke at educational institutions around the world, sharing her testimony with audiences young and old. She contributed to the USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive, even recording holographic answers to questions about her experiences—a testament to her embrace of new technologies in the service of remembrance. As Dan Green, chief executive of the Anne Frank Trust, put it, “Eva was a beacon of hope and resilience. Her unwavering commitment to challenging prejudice through Holocaust education has left an indelible mark on countless lives.”
Eva also documented her story in several books, including Eva’s Story: A Survivor’s Tale by the Step-Sister of Anne Frank, After Auschwitz, and The Promise. These works have been widely used in schools and Holocaust education programs, ensuring that her voice will continue to resonate for generations to come. Gillian Walnes, honorary vice president of the Anne Frank Trust UK, recalled meeting Eva in 1989 and witnessing her tireless passion: “Into her 90s, she spoke with tireless passion, often giving several talks a day, including in prisons and schools. Eva’s legacy lives on in the lives she touched and the history she so bravely kept alive.”
Her contributions did not go unrecognized. In 2013, Eva was awarded an MBE by the then Prince of Wales for her work in schools, and she received a Medal for Services to the Republic of Austria when she regained her Austrian citizenship. She was also honored with an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, and appointed Knight of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Eva Schloss’s philosophy was rooted in the belief that education is the key to combating racism and prejudice. In 2024, she reflected, “We must never forget the terrible consequences of treating people as ‘other’. We need to respect everybody’s races and religions. We need to live together with our differences. The only way to achieve this is through education, and the younger we start the better.”
Her loss has been felt deeply by those who worked alongside her. Nicola Cobbold, chair of the Anne Frank Trust, remarked, “She so warmly welcomed me into the Anne Frank Trust family and openly and honestly shared her memories, stories, fears and aspirations. Above all she believed that to enable peace people should work together as human beings, recognizing and challenging prejudice and promoting love and reasonableness.”
Eva’s legacy is perhaps best summed up by Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, who said, “Eva was an extraordinary woman, an indefatigable titan whose life mission was to ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust would never be forgotten. Her tenacity and dedication to sharing her story will be missed. May her memory be a blessing.”
As her family and the world mourn her passing, Eva Schloss’s life stands as a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit and the enduring importance of remembrance, education, and compassion.
