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Matchmaker and Holocaust survivor Hedi Frankl dies aged 93
Tributes pour in to ‘determined, independent, elegant’ woman
October 16, 2020 13:41
Tributes pour in to ‘determined, independent, elegant’ woman
October 16, 2020 13:41Shoah survivor Hedi Frankl, a social worker and matchmaker who lost most of her family to the Holocaust, has died in London aged 93.
Michael Newman, chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees, of which she was a member, confirmed reports of her death and paid tribute to Ms Frankl on Friday.
“Hedi was a popular presence at our events, someone who lightened the atmosphere with her sparkling character and friendly personality,” he said.
“With her experiences captured for posterity and future study, she will be greatly missed but will be remembered fondly.”
Ms Frankl was born in a small town in northern Hungary, according to the Claims Conference, which supported her during her lifetime.
After Nazi troops invaded in 1944, her mother was able to purchase forged papers and she was sent to live with a Christian family as a paying lodger under a false identity.
But she was found out several weeks later and deported to a forced labour camp near Vienna.
After the war, Ms Frankl was reunited in London with her brother and uncle: the only surviving members of the family not murdered at Auschwitz.
In England, Ms Frankl worked as a council worker at the Jewish Welfare Board and later founded her own matchmaking business until she retired 25 years later.
Ms Frankl was a longstanding member of the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre through which she met several members of the Royal Family.
Rachelle Lazarus, a manager at the Jewish Care centre, said Ms Frankl “was an extremely determined and independent person and she was always elegant.”
“She was very much involved with the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre and enjoyed her time there. She will be missed by everyone.”
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said she was "deeply saddened" to hear of her death.
"A vivacious woman with such presence, she will be deeply missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing her.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends. May her memory be a blessing."
Ms Frankl is survived by her daughter, who lives in Israel, and several grandchildren.
