The life and legacy of Eva Schloss, part 1

Eva Schloss, the Holocaust survivor and stepsister of Anne Frank, died on 3 January 2026 at the age of 96.

In 2022, she spoke to Outlook’s Emily Webb about being childhood friends and neighbours with Anne Frank in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Eva remembers Anne’s nickname was ‘Miss Quack Quack’ because she always loved talking. Then, like the Franks, Eva’s Jewish family was forced into hiding. Both families were ultimately betrayed and deported to Auschwitz, the most notorious of the Nazi death camps. After the war, Eva became Anne’s posthumous stepsister when her mother married Otto Frank, Anne’s father. Together they worked tirelessly to promote Anne Frank’s legacy through her diary.

Eva shared her extraordinary Holocaust testimony over two episodes. In this first episode, she describes her life before Auschwitz and her family’s eventual capture. In part two, you can hear about Eva’s memories of the liberation of Auschwitz, sitting with Otto Frank as he discovers Anne’s diary, and her efforts to keep her brother Heinz’s memory alive.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Producer: Maryam Maruf

Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: A black and white photo of Eva Schloss aged 11 in 1940. She is wearing a black dress with a light-coloured collar and is sitting at a desk holding a pen. Credit: Courtesy of Eva Schloss)