Lecture: The Atrocities of Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz

Introduction

• Josef Mengele: An SS officer notorious for his cruel experiments at Auschwitz.
• Auschwitz: A major concentration camp where Mengele conducted experiments on inmates, particularly twins.

Mengele's Experiments

• Selection Process: Mengele would decide life or death with a flick of his finger.
• Focus on Twins:
  • Twins were spared from the gas chambers but subjected to experiments.
  • Experiments aimed at creating a so-called master race.
  • Twins were tattooed and treated as lab specimens (e.g., Eva Moses and Miriam).
• Inhumane Practices:
  • Castrations, sterilizations, amputations.
  • Injections into eyes to change color.

Personal Accounts

• Eva Moses' Account:
  • Became extremely ill and was given two weeks to live.
  • Sustained by sister Miriam's bread saving.
• Kalman and Yehuda Barone: Twins who survived experiments, relayed the constant fear and degrading nature of the experiments.

Post-War

• Liberation: Out of 3,000 twins, only 150 survived when Auschwitz was liberated.
• Mengele's Escape:
  • Fled to South America with family assistance.
  • Died in Brazil in 1979.
  • His family company in Germany never prosecuted for harboring him.

The Twins' Silence

• Cultural Silence:
  • Survivors rarely talked about their experiences post-war.
  • Society's unwillingness to listen or believe.
  • Some twins only began speaking out decades later.
• Book Publication: "Children of the Flames" helped break silence.

Efforts for Justice

• Investigation into Mengele:
  • German authorities faced legal limitations (e.g., not prosecuting family).
  • Genetic testing in 1990 to confirm Mengele's death.
• Twins' Rights and Health:
  • Many former child subjects have ongoing health issues.
  • Desire to know the substances and procedures they were subjected to.

Conclusion

• Legacy and Memory:
  • Continued struggle for recognition and truth.
  • New Nazi movements in Germany concern the survivors.
  • The twins assert their right to be remembered and heard.