Who was Miklos Naj-Talavera?
Meet The Cold War Man
Miklos Naj was a Jewish Hungarian freedom fighter whose life journey was marked by extraordinary resilience and survival. After enduring the horrors of Auschwitz and surviving a brutal seven-year sentence in Soviet gulags across Russia, Central Asia, and Siberia, he emerged as a symbol of strength and endurance. In the late 1950s, Miklos enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where he joined a lively, unconventional fraternity despite being ten years older than most members. His fraternity brothers were captivated by his harrowing tales, which included encounters with notorious historical figures such as Joseph Mengele, Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro, and Che Guevara. His accounts of near-death experiences and incredible survival were met with both skepticism and fascination.
Years later, Miklos proved the truth of his stories, successfully suing the CIA under the Freedom of Information Act to reclaim his narrative. His life stands as a testament to the power of survival, courage, and the relentless pursuit of freedom.
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum Interview with Miklos on August 8th 1992
Nicholas Naj-Talavera, aka Miklos, born on February 14, 1929 in Budapest, Hungary, discusses his childhood in Budapest; his time in a Transylvanian ghetto in 1944; his subsequent deportation to Auschwitz; the work he performed in Josef Mengele's medical complex; the experiments he witnessed; his impressions of Mengele; and his subsequent experiences at Mauthausen, Gusen II, and Ebensee.
USC Shoah Foundation Interview with Miklos on Oct. 31, 1997
Miklos was selected to be interviewed by Steven Spielberg's USC Shoah Project. Spielberg established the Shoah Foundation to document survivor testimonies for future generations. Today, the Visual History Archive is the largest collection of genocide witness testimony in the world. Preserving and sharing the archive honors these witnesses, enabling others to listen to their voices and look into their eyes.
The Third Liberation of Miklos Naj
An Article Written About Miklos Attending the University of California at Berkeley
Click on the link below to listen to The Third Liberation of Miklos Naj, a true story of a Hungarian Freedom Fighter who joined a madcap ‘Animal House’-type fraternity at the University of California at Berkeley in the late ‘50s. Click Link below to listen on SoundCloud.com.
The Family Album
