Among the economics profession are many who serve with an energy and moral insight born of unusual and tragic personal experience. Such an economist was Zvi Schloss, whose death on the 3 July 2016 therefore deserves note in our Newsletter.
Zvi Schloss was born in Munich on the 14 February 1925 into a well-to-do family. With the rise of Hitler, his father Meier Schloss was incarcerated in the Dachau concentration camp. The family however managed to leave Germany for Palestine, where Zvi completed his school education. He joined the Israeli armed forces to participate in the war that established an independent Israel. While still in uniform he started a correspondence course at the University of London. In 1952 he graduated with First Class Honours in Commerce, with Banking as a special subject, and was awarded a prize for his outstanding results. The prize consisted of a scholarship to study at the London School of Economics. Unfortunately, the scholarship paid only his tuition fees. Moreover, in London he met and eventually married Eva Geiringer. With her mother Elfriede Geiringer, Eva had survived the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, and her mother went on to marry Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank. To support his marriage, Zvi gave up his studies and joined the stock-broking firm Strauss Turnbull. He subsequently worked for Bank Leumi and ended up as Executive Director of J Rothschild & Co.
Zvi Schloss had a particular interest in international monetary economics and financial markets. He contributed articles to Barron’s, The Banker, and Investors Chronicle. In the midst of the international debt crisis of the 1980s his views anticipated many of the criticisms of international monetary relations that have emanated since the turn of the century from the Bank for International Settlements. In his retirement he gave support to his wife Eva in her campaigning work for the Anne Frank Trust, bringing together people in divided communities.
Zvi Schloss died in London leaving behind his wife Eva and three daughters.
Janek Toporowski,
School of Oriental and African Studies, London.
