Eva Schloss-Geiringer, a Holocaust survivor and the stepsister of Anne Frank, passed away on January 3, 2026, at the age of 96 in London, leaving behind a profound legacy of resilience and the fight against intolerance. Born in Vienna on May 11, 1929, Eva’s life took a harrowing turn when Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, forcing her Jewish family to flee to Amsterdam. There, she lived on Merwedeplein, directly across from Anne Frank’s house, where she formed a deep friendship with Anne.
In 1942, with the threat of deportation looming, Eva’s family went into hiding. Unfortunately, they were betrayed and arrested, leading to their deportation to the Auschwitz concentration camp on May 11, 1944, which coincidentally was also Eva’s fifteenth birthday. The horrors of the camp claimed the lives of her father, Erich, and her brother, Heinz, but Eva and her mother managed to survive. After being liberated by the Soviet army on January 27, 1945, the duo returned to the Netherlands, where they crossed paths with Otto Frank, the only surviving member of Anne’s family.
Otto Frank played a pivotal role in Eva’s post-war life, encouraging her passion for photography and eventually becoming her stepfather after marrying Eva’s mother in 1953. Despite enduring years of silence about her traumatic experiences, Eva began to speak out publicly about the Holocaust in 1988 during an exhibition dedicated to Anne Frank. She expressed her dismay that humanity had not heeded the lessons from that dark chapter in history, recognizing the persistence of war, persecution, and racism in the world.
Eva Schloss-Geiringer’s commitment to raising awareness about the Holocaust and advocating for a more tolerant and peaceful world stands as a testament to her strength and resolve. Her life journey, marked by immense suffering and transformation, reminds us all of the importance of remembering history to shape a better future.