An Evening with Eva Schloss

I have been behind in blogging, but I wanted to write about an amazing experience that my girlfriend and I had a couple of weeks ago. Eva Schloss came to Knoxville to speak. Eva Schloss was the stepsister of Anne Frank, and Mrs. Schloss was also a Holocaust survivor who spent time at Auschwitz. We decided to buy tickets to hear Mrs. Schloss speak because many Holocaust survivors are no longer alive, and this number will only continue to increase. 

Mrs. Schloss told us about her childhood and how she knew Anne Frank and told some personal stories. Then she discussed her experience in hiding from the Nazis and finally being discovered and taken to the concentration camp. One of the most eye opening experiences that I felt during the lecture was her story about how her family (among many others) were separated. She also told the story of how people were grouped and sent to the gas chamber at the concentration camps, which she referred to as "death camps." Another chilling moment to me was when she showed the audience her tattoo from the concentration camp. She told the audience that she shows this to show proof to those that said that the Holocaust was a lie. 

Then she talked about how it took her many years to be able to tell her story. My girlfriend bought Eva's book before the show, and she opened the book to find that Mrs. Schloss had signed the book. At the end, we watched an inspirational video from the local Jewish school in Knoxville. I am so glad that we had this experience to hear a living Holocaust survivor, and I recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to hear a Holocaust survivor speak, take that opportunity.