Eva Schlo , a renowned Holocaust survivor, educator, and bestselling author, has died at the age of 96. Schlo ‘s life was inextricably linked to that of Anne Frank, with whom she shared a childhood in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation.
Schlo , born Eva Geiringer in Vienna in 1929, was forced to flee Austria with her family after the Anschluss in 1938. They eventually found refuge in Amsterdam, where the Geiringer and Frank families lived in the same apartment block. Though the two girls were not particularly close, their lives would become forever intertwined when Schlo ‘s mother married Otto Frank, Anne’s father, in 1953.
After being deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944, Schlo endured the horrors of the Nazi death camps, losing her father and brother in the process. However, a stroke of luck saw her cousin, a nurse at the Birkenau hospital, able to intervene and save Schlo and her mother from the gas chambers.
Following the war, Schlo returned to Amsterdam, where she struggled to come to terms with the trauma she had experienced. It was at this time that she forged a close relationship with Otto Frank, who encouraged her to pursue her passion for photography.
In the decades that followed, Schlo became a tireless advocate for Holocaust education, co-founding the Anne Frank Trust UK and sharing her harrowing experiences with audiences across the country, from schools and universities to prisons. Her powerful testimony and unwavering commitment to promoting tolerance and understanding earned her an MBE in 2012.
Schlo’s legacy extends beyond her work as a Holocaust educator. She was the author of several acclaimed books, including “Eva’s Story” and “The Promise,” which sought to introduce younger readers to the realities of the Holocaust. Her memoir, “After Auschwitz,” was widely praised for its unflinching honesty and message of hope.
Schlo’s daughter, Caroline, paid tribute to her mother’s enduring spirit, saying, “Eva never lost her belief in the inherent goodness of humanity, even after all she had endured. She dedicated her life to ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust would never be forgotten.”
Eva Schlo is survived by her three daughters, five grandchildren, and a lasting impact on the lives she touched through her tireless work as a Holocaust educator and author. Her story will continue to inspire generations to come.
