“For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.”
Eva Schloss, was born in Vienna in 1929. Just nine years later, in 1938, the atmosphere toward Jews began to change significantly when the Nazis entered Austria, forcing the family to flee to Belgium before moving to Amsterdam. In 1942 when the Nazis started gathering up and deporting Jews, the family went into hiding with the help of the Dutch Resistance.
After two years moving between hiding places, in May 1944 they were eventually betrayed, captured and transported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. After the liberation of the camps in 1945, Eva returned to Amsterdam with her mother, the latter of whom eventually remarried Otto Frank and it was here where they learned that her father and brother had not survived.
They married and had three daughters, one of whom is my mother. For many years, Eva struggled coming to terms with what she had experienced and the loss of her family. Instead, she focused on promoting the memory of her step-sister, Anne Frank and, since the 1980s, has travelled the world to talk about issues including immigration and racism through the lens of her life.
Eric, Eva's grandson, says: "I want people to to take a step back and appreciate the beauty of life, to try and approach others with a deeper level of understanding, compassion and acceptance. Life is complicated in so many ways but we are all human trying to make the best sense of who we all are and what we are doing here.
Lesley Urbach’s maternal family came from a small town in North-East Germany which now belongs to Poland. Her mother, Eva Wohl, and three aunts escaped to Britain on the Kindertransport in December 1938 . Eva's parents, Lesley’s grandparents, were murdered at Auschwitz on 19 February 1943.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Remarkable images show the people who survived the Holocaust and flourishedThe Princess of Wales is among photographers who have captured images of survivors for a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum North.
Read more »
Secret letters from the Holocaust reveal defiance in the midst of chaos: 'Be brave and cope'✉️ Correspondence shows how families exchanged messages across borders, in defiance and in the midst of chaos and destruction – and how much they understood about the genocide unfolding
Read more »
Five of the best places in Spain for digital nomads, from Valencia to Lanzarote💻 Spain will introduce a new digital nomad visa this year, for which Britons will be eligible
Read more »
Jewish designers to be celebrated in London exhibitionA museum is seeking famous garments by Jewish designers who dressed Bowie, Bond and The Beatles.
Read more »
Jewish designers to be celebrated in London exhibitionA new exhibition celebrating Jewish designers in London and their impact on global style is to appear at the Museum of London Docklands.
Read more »
Black-Jewish solidarity is a rejection of divide-and-rule culture warsCOMMENT: 'Black-Jewish solidarity is a rejection of divide-and-rule culture wars' Ahead of HolocaustMemorialDay, DawnButlerBrent writes about understanding each other’s history and journey HolocaustRemembranceDay
Read more »