Eva Schloss (1929–2026): Sydney visit remembered

Anne Frank’s stepsister’s visit to Sydney

Eva Schloss, Auschwitz survivor and Anne Frank’s stepsister, died in London on January 3, aged 96. Among the many tributes, King Charles III praised her lifelong commitment to remembrance, understanding, and peace.

Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna in 1929, she fled Austria with her family in 1938 following the Nazi annexation and intensifying persecution of Jews. In 1944, while in hiding in the Netherlands, Eva and her mother were arrested and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. They survived; her father and brother did not. After the war, her mother married Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father.

In 1951, Eva settled in London, studied photography, and later married Zvi Schloss. She became a British citizen and emerged as one of the most dedicated Holocaust educators of her generation. As co-founder and honorary president of the Anne Frank Trust UK, she spoke tirelessly across Europe, confronting racism and antisemitism through personal testimony.

In 2001, Eva Schloss visited Australia and was a special guest of the Powerhouse Museum, invited to participate in public programs supporting the travelling exhibition Anne Frank – A History for Today. Developed by the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, the exhibition drew on Anne Frank’s personal story and linked it to broader questions of human rights, prejudice, and moral responsibility. It was presented in Sydney alongside Courage to Care, a B’nai B’rith initiative.

The Powerhouse public programs included a performance of And Then They Came for Me, a play by James Still based on Eva Schloss’s life. Over 1,000 visitors attended, and student audiences had the rare opportunity to engage directly with Eva in a post-performance discussion of her memories. Another major highlight was an all-day public reading of The Diary of Anne Frank, held on Anne Frank’s birthday, 12 June, with over 1,000 guests. The entire diary was read aloud by guest speakers, an event conceived by Dr Kevin Fewster and coordinated by Project Officers Anne Slade and Lesley Russell.

Eva Schloss’s Sydney visit was a powerful moment of living memory shared with the Australian public. It also marked the first major project of the then newly appointed Powerhouse Museum Director, Dr Kevin Fewster. It was the time when the Museum stood at the forefront of current issues, whether addressing history, design, climate issues or broader questions of museology of the 21^st century. Most importantly, as noted by Dr Jana Vytrhlik, former Manager of Education and Visitor Services, “the message of the exhibition and associated programs is more relevant today than in 2001—it addressed antisemitism, confronted prejudice, and valued human courage and compassion.”