Last Hungarian survivor of Auschwitz twin experiments laid to rest

György Kun, the final Hungarian survivor of the infamous Auschwitz twin experiments, passed away on 5 February 2025, at the age of 93. Kun, who was not actually a twin, was laid to rest in the Jewish cemetery in Óbuda, Budapest.

Born in January 1932, Kun and his brother István, born 11 months later, were mistaken for twins due to their similar appearance. This misconception would ultimately save their lives during the Holocaust.

Claiming to be twins saved the brothers’ lives

According to Szombat, in 1944, the Kun family was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Upon arrival, Dr. Josef Mengele, the notorious Nazi physician, asked their mother if the boys were twins. Despite not understanding German, she instinctively nodded, unknowingly securing her sons’ survival. Tragically, she was immediately sent to the gas chambers.

The brothers were registered with the other twins, where Ernő Spiegel, a 28-year-old Hungarian Jew overseeing the twin children, discovered they weren’t actually twins. Spiegel instructed the boys to maintain the lie, knowing it was their only chance for survival.

Kun later recalled the constant fear they lived with: “We were especially afraid because we weren’t twins. Only Spiegel and a few other children knew… They told us if it was discovered, our lives would be over.”