Last survivor of Mengele’s twin experiments dies at 93

His story is a powerful testament to the horrors of the Holocaust and the strength of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity.

Born on January 23, 1932, in the Hungarian village of Vállaj, Gyorgy grew up in a Jewish family. His father, Márton Kun, worked as a farm manager, and his mother, Piroska, cared for their home. Gyorgy had a brother, Istvan, born just eleven months after him. The two siblings shared a close bond, and their early childhood was shaped by the love of their family.

However, their peaceful existence came to a halt in 1938 when Hungary adopted anti-Jewish laws similar to Germany’s Nuremberg Laws. Gyorgy was barred from attending grammar school, though his parents managed to send him to a local high school. Sadly, their lives grew increasingly difficult as anti-Semitic attacks escalated, and Gyorgy faced daily bullying simply for being Jewish.

In 1944, Nazi forces occupied Hungary, and the Kun family was forcibly evicted from their farm. They were sent to a ghetto, then to a brick factory, and eventually loaded onto a train bound for Auschwitz in May of that year. Upon their arrival, Gyorgy, his brother, and their mother were taken to face the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, who conducted cruel and inhumane experiments on twins.

Mengele’s chilling question, “Zwillinge [twins]?” marked a turning point in Gyorgy’s life. Though his mother did not speak German, she instinctively responded “Ja,” and the brothers were immediately separated from her. Gyorgy would never see his mother again. Their ordeal was just beginning.

Despite the tremendous odds, the brothers survived. A fellow Jewish prisoner named Ernő Spiegel risked his own life to falsify their birth dates, ensuring that their registration forms matched, thereby saving them from being sent to the gas chambers. The brothers’ survival was a miracle, and they were eventually reunited with their father, who had somehow survived the Dachau concentration camp.

Gyorgy’s life after Auschwitz was marked by the trauma of his experiences, and he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite the emotional scars, he never forgot the kindness of Spiegel, who became a symbol of hope and humanity amidst the horrors of the camp. Gyorgy often recalled how Spiegel had not only saved his life but had also led the surviving children back home after the camp’s liberation, helping them find their way and giving them hope for a better future.

Gyorgy Kun’s passing at the age of 93, last Wednesday, marks the loss of one of the last witnesses to the atrocities of Mengele’s experiments. His memory, however, will forever be a blessing.