By J.E. Ballantyne Jr.
Eva Schloss, the stepsister of Anne Frank, died in her sleep Saturday in London.
Known the world over for her connection to the famous Holocaust diarist, Eva dedicated her life to speaking to groups all over the world about her experiences before, during and after World War II. She was most interested in speaking to students, many of whom knew little to nothing about the Holocaust.
I first met Eva in 1999 when I directed a show about the capture of her family by the Nazis titled “And Then They Came for Me.”
Prime Stage in Pittsburgh produced the show, and Eva came to see the entire run. She and I became almost instant friends by the end of the run of the show. She discovered that I was interested in the Holocaust and had directed “The Diary of Anne Frank” in Salem, Ohio.
While doing the show in Pittsburgh, I mentioned to her that I was writing a show called “Block 5” that dealt with an incident that took place at the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria. This sparked her interest, since both her father and brother died at Mauthausen. She was so interested that she flew from London to see the show in Youngstown when it premiered in 2005. Her journey here illustrated her dedication to educating people at all levels about what took place in the camps. Each evening following performances, she spoke briefly to the audience and then answered questions.
This would be Youngstown’s first exposure to Eva – a person who most people had never heard of previously. Meeting someone who had a direct connection to Anne Frank was something that everyone appreciated.
She would visit Youngstown another four or five times during the next few years. She was present for the dedication of a Holocaust memorial at Boardman Center Middle School and spoke to students in the auditorium.
I was present for most, if not all, of her speaking engagements when she was in town. You could see the interest and fascination with her on every face in the audience. She was not only a good speaker – that Austrian accent endeared her to everyone.
When I was rehearsing the one-woman show that I wrote about her – “Images: Remembrances of the Holocaust” – I told her that Molly Galano, the local actor who was portraying her, was having some difficulty with the accent. She emailed me back and said that she didn’t have an accent. She probably thought that all of us did.
Eva had a website back when she was touring. The site was jammed with emails from teachers and students from all over the world expressing their love and gratitude to her for her visits to their schools. She was very generous with her time to the point that she was rarely home – to the consternation of her family.
Her love was in getting her message out. She flew frequently all year long to and from the U.S. and to points all over the globe.
Eva’s connection to Anne Frank is both interesting and humorous. They both lived in the same apartment building in Amsterdam, so the families knew each other.
Although she knew Anne, she was not particularly close to her. She explained to me that they had different interests. Anne wanted to always be the center of attention, liked boys, and was quite refined. Eva, meanwhile, described herself as not interested in boys at that time and was more of a tomboy. She liked playing marbles, something Anne would never do. So Eva became closer friends with Hannah Goslar because they had similar interests. But she did see Anne almost every day and visited her apartment once in a while.
When Hannah Goslar died in 2022, it made Eva the only living connection to Anne Frank, at least that I know of.
I can’t be more thankful or grateful for everything Eva taught me about the Holocaust. These were things you couldn’t get in any book, because they were personal experiences.
Eva was in the Auschwitz concentration camp with her mother when she was 15 and remained there for nine months until the camp was liberated.
Once liberated, she ran into Otto Frank, Anne’s father, who was also there, and they rekindled the friendship that the families had.
She told a story of a time when she and her mother arrived back home in Amsterdam, and Otto Frank came to visit them carrying a package. He unwrapped the package and showed them what was inside: Anne’s diary and her notes – the original diary and notes. He told them that he was contemplating publishing
it but was not sure if he should. After Eva and her mother looked through it, they assured him that he should publish it – the world needed to see it.
With Otto’s family being totally wiped out during the war, Eva’s mother, Fritzi, would marry Otto, thus making Eva and Anne stepsisters.
On one of her visits to Youngstown, she presented me with a small wrapped box and said to me, “I thought you might like to have this.” I unwrapped it, and inside was a linen dinner napkin with the Frank monogram on it. Eva said those napkins were used each Sunday during the Frank family meal.
Another time she presented me with a book. She said a Japanese company had contacted her because they wanted to make a picture book of Frank family items. Otto had died by then so all of those items went to Eva and her mother. Eva provided all of the items that are pictured in the book. The book is in Japanese, but it is a great tribute to the Frank family.
Eva was also great friends with Miep Gies. If that name sounds a little familiar, it is because Miep was Otto Frank’s secretary and helped to hide the Frank family in Amsterdam.
I was writing a play, “The Secret Annexe,” taking a little different perspective on Miep’s book, “Anne Frank Remembered.”
Eva was instrumental in putting me in touch with Miep to get her permission to base my play on her book. Miep wrote me a letter granting permission at no charge.
The play prompted Eva to make yet another visit to Youngstown. She loved the show, and the actors I worked with who got to experience Eva were in total awe of her. It made their experience with that play totally different from any other one they would ever have. Many of them formed lasting friendships with her.
Eva had time and made time for everybody, within reason, to get the message out about her experiences and to talk about the damage that hatred, antisemitism and bigotry has done and can do. She was one of the most tireless people I have ever seen, and her mission will be remembered for many years to come.
She will be sorely missed, especially since there are relatively few Holocaust survivors remaining.
Their stories must be kept alive and must be told and retold. A project I am currently working on will help in some small way. I will reveal more about that in the future.
Eva was a great friend, and I could email her with any question I had regarding the Holocaust and her experiences. She was also an author and wrote several books about her experiences. She was always there for me and for anyone who asked her.
Rest in peace, Eva. We will miss you.
J.E. Ballantyne is a Youngstown-based playwright, actor and director. He is also the theater critic of The Business Journal.
Pictured at top: Eva Schloss. (Photo by John Mathew Smith and Celebrity-Photos.com | Wikimedia)