Category:Mengele Twins (subject)

Around 3,000 children (mostly twins) were selected at Auschwitz as guinea pigs for medical experiments by SS doctor Josef Mengele. Around 160 of them survived. The advantage of using twins was to compare the different reaction to medications. For example, an experimental medication or vaccine was inoculated to one; then both were infected with the disease. The doctors could verify the different impact of the disease on each of them. Usually, the death of one twin meant the death of the other.

Some children were also sent from Auschwitz to other research centers in Germany.

• Mengele Twins (Candles Holocaust Museum)

• The Twins of Auschwitz (BBC News, 2015)

Memoirs

2011

Surviving the Angel of Death: The True Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz (Terre Haute, IN : Tanglewood Pub., 2009) is the memoir written by Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor (b.1934).

"Eva Mozes Kor was just ten years old when she arrived in Auschwitz. While her parents and two older sisters were taken to the gas chambers, she and her twin, Miriam, were herded into the care of the man known as the Angel of Death, Dr. Josef Mengele. Subjected to sadistic medical experiments, she was forced to fight daily for her and her twin's survival. In this incredible true story written for young adults, readers learn of a child's endurance and survival in the face of truly extraordinary evil. The book also includes an epilogue on Eva's recovery from this experience and her remarkable decision to publicly forgive the Nazis. Through her museum and her lectures, she has dedicated her life to giving testimony on the Holocaust, providing a message of hope for people who have suffered, and working for causes of human rights and peace."--Publisher description.

Bibliography

1990

Lucette Lagnado and Sheila Cohn Dekel. Children of the Flames: Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz (New York, NY: Morrow, 1990).

"During World War II, Nazi doctor Josef Mengele subjected some 3,000 twins to medical experiments of unspeakable horror; only 160 survived. In this remarkable narrative, the life of Auschwitz's Angel of Death is told in counterpoint to the lives of the survivor twins, who until now have kept silent about their heinous death-camp ordeals and are themselves now inching into middle or old age. In stories that abound with ambiguity, anger, and redemptive hope, we encounter them first as children beginning their descent into Auschwitz by witnessing their entire families being led away to be killed. Later, we see the twins grateful for the soup and bread Mengele procured for them and reassured by his moments of seemingly genuine affection, yet terrified, always, by what he forced them to endure."--Publisher description.

Lucette Matalon Lagnado (USA, 1956-2019) was an Egyptian-born American Jewish journalist and memoirist. Born in Cairo to a Jewish family, she lived in the United States. She was a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

Additional identified twins

(a) Victims

1. + HORNING - Henryk and Szaja Wigdor Hornung (Poland, January 31, 1940)
2. + ZAJDER - Bernard and Salomon Zajdner (France, 1930?)

(b) Survivors

1. BACK - Anchie (Anton) & Srululie (Izidor) Back (
2. BERKOWICZ - Marc & Francesca Berkowitz (Cechia, 1932).
3. BLEIER - Miklosz & Tibor Bleier (Hungary, 1932).
4. + BRAUN - Kalman & Yehudit Braun (???)
5. BRICHTA - András and Károly Brichta (Hungary, 1935).
6. BUCCI - Andra e Tatiana Bucci (Fiume, Italia, 1937, 1939).
7. CSENGERI - Yehudit & Lea Csengeri (Romania, 6 giugno 1937).
8. < +CUKER - Lucyina and Irka Cuker (Poland, September 1, 1923)
9. + DEUTCH - Esther and Malka Deutch (Czechia, 1925 or 1923)
10. + EDELMANN - Judith & Magda Edelmann (Czechia, 4 December 1924).
11. FEINGOLD - Jacob & Reizel Feingold (Berlino, 3 novembre 1927).
12. FISER - Jiri (George) & Josef Fiser (Czechia, 7 gennaio 1936) [or Jul 1, 1936?)
13. FUCHS - Jona & Miriam Fuchs (Lodz, Polonia, 1930).
14. GOTTESMANN - Elias & Jeno Gottesmann (Hungary, 1940)
15. GROSSMAN - Olga & Vera Grossman (Czechia, 1938). Went to Ireland with the Schonfeld Children.
16. GUTTMANN - René & Renate (Irene) Guttmann (Czechia, 21 dicembre 1937). Now Rene & Renate Slotkin
17. HADL - Georg (George) & Paul Hadl (Budapest, Hungary, 9 febbraio 1938). They are now known as George & Paul Heimler.
18. + HEILBRUNN - Stephanie & Annetta Heilbrunn (Subotica, Yugoslavia, on February 2, 1924 but lived in Prague)
19. < + HERSKOVIC - Helen and Pearl Herskovic (Slovakia, 18 January 1921)
20. + KISS - Laszlo and Endre (Bandi) Kiss (Hungary, ???)
21. KLEIN - Isaak & Tzvi Klein (Somotor, Slovacchia, 1931).
22. + KLEIN - Otto & Ferenc (Frank) Klein (Hungary, June 7, 1932).
23. KLEINMANN - Josef & Martha Kleinmann (Cechia, 1940).
24. + KUPAS - Eva & ??? Kupas (???)
25. KUR - György & István Kun (Hungary, 1932).
26. + LAZAROVITZ - Yitzhak and Tziporah Lazarovitz (Romania, July 1, 1929)
27. + LORENZI - Menashe and Leah Lorenzi (Romania, May 20, 1934). Lea is now known as Lea Gluck.
28. LOWY - Leopold & Miriam Lowy (Hungary, 4 giugno 1928).
29. MOZES - Eva & Miriam Mozes (Romania, 1934). [now Eva Kor
30. + < NOTHMANN - Albert and Fritz Nothmann were born on April 22, 1885.
31. REICHENBERG - Moshe & Menashe Reichenberg (Hungary, 1927).
32. ROSENBAUM - Judith & Ruth Rosenbaum (Brasov, Romania, 25 maggio 1934).
33. + SAUER - Margit & Sarah Sauer (Hungary, May 25, 1931) [now Miri Schönberger and Sarah Tiegerman]
34. SCHLESINGER - Harry & Sitonia (Sidonia) Schlesinger (Munkacz, CZ, 9 mar 1929) Sidonia is now known as Dusy Gluck.
35. SCHWARZ - Kalman & Eva Schwarz (Hungary, 8 aprile 1932).
36. < + Judith and Andrea Silberger (Slovakia, October 11, 1923)
37. SOLOMON (SALAMON) - Sandor & Tibor Solomon (Sevlus, Cechia, 11 maggio 1931).
38. SOMOGYI - Tamas (Thomas) & Peter Somogyi (Pecs, Hungary, 14 aprile 1933).
39. < + SPIEGEL - Zvi and Magda Spiegel (Hungary, January 5, 1915)
40. STEINER - Jiri (George) & Zdenek (Zoenek) Steiner (Praga, CZ, 20 maggio 1929).
41. STERN - Hedvah and Leah Stern (Hungary, 1931?
42. TRAUB - Hanka & Eva Traub (Vienna, Austria, 1939).
43. VIZEL - Herman (Tsvi) & Siegmund (Zigi) Vizel (Cechia, 15 febbraio 1930).
44. WEISS - Eva & Vera Weiss (Kosice, CZ, 1932).
45. ZELMANOVITS - Eva & Moritz Zelmonovits (Morris) (Hungary, June 6, 1932).

Additional names (identified as survivors):

1. APPELBAUM - Edek (Adolf) & Milek (Hilek) Appelbaum (1938?)
2. BINET - Gaszpar & Uszn (Robert) Binet (1938?) Went to Ireland with the Schonfeld Children. Gaspar (15 Jan 1938) & Robert (20 Jun 1939) Twins?
3. BRODT - Antol & Josef Brodt (Mar 12, 1930)
4. FEKETE - Izabella & Vilmoe Fekete (1937?)
5. FRIEDMANN - Jakob & Mozes Friedmann (Oct 12, 1925)
6. HAUPTMANN - Jeno & Zoltan Hauptmann (Oct 23, 1930)
7. HAVAS - Agnes & Judith Havas (Aug 21, 1927)
8. HERSKOWICZ - Gisela & Helena Herskowicz (???) Now Peal Pufeles & Helen Rappaport.
9. KERPEL - Ida & Marta Kerpel (1927?)
10. KOHN - Ewa & Klara Kohn (Mar 15, 1940)
11. MALEK - Elias & Jacob Malek (???)
12. PETERFRIEND - Agnes & Istvas Peterfriend (Dec 11, 1932)
13. POLLACK - Abraham & Jacob Pollack (Nov 21, 1924)
14. ROTH - Hermine & Piroska Roth (Mar 11, 1927) + Rozsi Pollak ???
15. ZELEWSKI - Leib & Samuel Zelewski (1932?)