Holocaust, Art, and Memory
I was privileged to share a close friendship with Eva Schloss, Holocaust survivor and posthumous stepsister of Anne Frank.
My work in Holocaust education has centered on helping preserve and share Eva’s story.
I presented nationally with Eva Schloss and created projects related to Holocaust memory, art, and education. I developed a book on the life and art of Eva’s brother and father, Heinz and Erich Geiringer, in which I incorporated research, photography, and design.
I also created print and digital promotional materials for Eva Schloss’s engagements, photographed events, and led creative projects related to Holocaust remembrance. One such project was And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, a play by James Still.
Featured Work
National presentations with Eva Schloss
Book design: postcard and print collections of works by Heinz and Erich Geiringer
Book-length research and design project on the life and art of Heinz and Erich Geiringer
Print and digital promotional design for Eva Schloss engagements
Event photography and documentation
Artistic direction and multimedia/stage design for And Then They Came for Me
About Eva Schloss.
Eva Geiringer Schloss (1929-2026) was an Austrian-born Holocaust survivor and the posthumous step-sister to Anne Frank.
As Jews living in Austria when Hitler invaded in 1938, Eva’s family fled, first to Belgium and then to Holland. When the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1942, Eva’s family went into hiding to avoid being sent to a Nazi concentration camp. After two years in hiding, the Geiringers were betrayed, captured by the Nazis, and sent to the notorious death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. After nine months of slave labor, Eva and her mother were barely alive at the time of Auschwitz’s liberation by the Russians. Tragically, Eva’s brother and father did not survive.
After the war, Eva’s mother Elfriede (Fritzi) Geiringer married Otto Frank, and they committed themselves to publishing Anne’s diary. Eva moved to England, where she married Zvi Schloss, raised three daughters, and owned an antique store.
In 1985, Eva Schloss began telling her story, and she wrote three books. Although it includes horrific experiences and tragic loss, Eva’s story is ultimately one of triumph of the human spirit.
National Presentations
From 2016–2025, I presented with Eva Schloss at events across the United States, helping audiences engage more deeply with her testimony and with the visual history created by Heinz and Erich Geiringer during the Holocaust.
(Right photo) “A Historic Evening with Anne Frank’s Step-sister and Holocaust Survivor, Eva Schloss,” Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, Des Moines, IA.
Book Design
I designed two books featuring the paintings created by Heinz and Erich Geiringer. The book of prints and book of postcards were published by the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Center (HKHTC) and Asia Society Global Education Series in connection with International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
(Pictured left) Eva is holding the Book of Prints at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. (St. Stephen’s College, Hong Kong, 2020)
Book Authorship and Design
I authored and designed a book project, Erich and Heinz Geiringer: Paintings Created in Hiding During the Holocaust (1942–1944), developed in collaboration with Eva Schloss. The book chronicles the lives and artwork of Heinz and Erich Geiringer during the Holocaust, as well as the historical context surrounding their journey as Jewish refugees, prisoners, and victims.
(Pictured right) Erich and Heinz Geiringer: Paintings Created in Hiding During the Holocaust by Tami Rae Weiss, PhD (2020).
Design and Promotion
My work has also included designing posters, programs, and webpages for events and film screenings in the United States and England, including projects connected to No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of Anne Frank’s Story, directed by Paula Fouce.
Artistic Director
I co-directed And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank by James Still. I also designed the set and lighting for the production and coordinated a post-show event featuring Eva Schloss.
Additional “Holocaust Project” Events
Presenter/Moderator
“A Story of Triumph; A Historic Evening with Eva Schloss,” Chabad House of Western Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI. (2017)
Moderator/Presenter
“Reflections on Resistance: After Auschwitz – An Afternoon with Eva Schloss,” including “Art and the Holocaust”, Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA. (2017)
Presenter
Presenter at the opening reception of “A Historic Evening with Anne Frank's Stepsister Eva Schloss”, University of Minnesota-Northrup, Twin Cities, MN. (2019)
Event: Tree-planting Ceremony
Tree planting ceremony with guest of honor, Eva Schloss at Highbury Fields, London. The chestnut sapling was propagated from the tree outside of Anne Frank’s Annex window in Amsterdam.
(Above) Eva’s sapling which she donated to the American School of London, England. (2016)
Event: New Dimensions in Testimony project.
World premier of the USC Shoah Foundation’s “New Dimensions in Testimony” project. Interactive testimony installation with virtual conversation with Eva Schloss. Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. (© T. Weiss, 2017)
Event: Documenting the Holocaust on Film.
Televised media event moderated by Ted Koppel, featuring documentary short 116 Cameras as one of the exceptional films made possible by the Claims Conference. The Paley Center for Media, New York, NY. (© T. Weiss, 2017)
Event: Diary Anniversary at Anne Frank’s Home.
Anne Frank’s Merwedeplein home in Amsterdam was the historical site for the 75th anniversary of the day Anne Frank received her diary- on her 13th birthday, June 12, 1941. My daughters were among the thirteen young people selected to tour the Frank home which is not open to the public. (See photographs of the event). (2017)
Gallery of Holocaust Project
Photographs © Tami Rae Weiss, PhD
Bibliography for the Holocaust Project.
Weiss, T. (2020). Erich and Heinz Geiringer: A Book of Prints and A Book of Postcards. International Holocaust Remembrance Day, St. Stephen’s College, Hong Kong: Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre (HKHTC) and Asia Society Global Education Series.
Weiss, T. (2020). Heinz and Erich Geiringer: Paintings Created In Hiding During the Holocaust. Book in preparation.
Weiss, T. (2019, Oct.). “The Art of Heinz Geiringer, Paintings in Hiding.” Presentation with prints of artwork at opening reception for “A Historic Evening with Anne Frank's Stepsister Eva Schloss” sponsored by Chabad U of M, University of Minnesota-Northrup, Twin Cities, MN.
Schloss, E. & Weiss, T. (2018, May). “The Art of Heinz Geiringer, Paintings in Hiding.” Presentation for Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, Danville, IA.
Schloss, E. & Weiss, T. (2018, May). “A Historic Evening with Anne Frank’s Stepsister and Holocaust Survivor, Eva Schloss.” Presentation for Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, Quad Cities, IA.
Schloss, E. & Weiss, T. (2017, November). “Reflections on Resistance: After Auschwitz – An Afternoon with Eva Schloss.” Presentation at Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA.
Schloss, E. & Weiss, T. (2017, September). No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of the Anne Frank Story. Film screening and post-film presentation. Arts Integration Menomonie and UW-Stout’s SPEAK-UP special event, Menomonie, WI.
Schloss, E. & Weiss, T. (2017, September). “We Will Never Forget: An Afternoon with Holocaust Survivor, Eva Schloss.” Presentation at student/faculty assemblies, Menomonie High School, Menomonie, WI and Ellsworth School District, Ellsworth, WI.
Schloss, E., Fouce, P. & Weiss, T. (2017, September). No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of the Anne Frank Story. Film screening and presentation. Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, Menomonie, WI.
Schloss, E. & Weiss, T. (2017, September). “A Historic Evening with Anne Frank’s Stepsister and Holocaust Survivor, Eva Schloss.” Presentation for Chabad House of Western Michigan. Kalamazoo, MI.
Schloss, E. & Weiss, T. (2017, September). “A Historic Evening with Anne Frank’s Stepsister and Holocaust Survivor, Eva Schloss.” Presentation for Chabad House of Western Michigan, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI.
Schloss, E. & Weiss, T. (2017, September). “A Story of Triumph; A Historic Evening with Eva Schloss.” Presentation for Chabad House of Western Michigan, East Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids, MI.
Weiss, T. & Schloss, E. (2017, April). “The Strength of the Human Spirit; The Impact of the Arts on Wellbeing, Learning, & Change.” Presentation at Early Childhood Education Conference, UW-Stout, Menomonie, WI.