Misled by Evgenii Khaldei: His “Budapest Ghetto” Photos were not Taken in the Ghetto and Were Staged (Accepted)

Type of Abstract (select): Paper presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Evgenii Khaldei, the Soviet photojournalist of World War II, gained fame in the West during the 1990s when his photographs picturing the victims of the war were exhibited there. Among his Holocaust-related photographs are two iconic photos that he claimed were taken on January 18, 1945, when the ghetto in Budapest was liberated. One is the representation of the wanton murder of Jews and the other their survival. These photographs, when exhibited or published in albums, were accompanied by Khaldei’s brief stories about their origins. This presentation reexamines Khaldei’s claims, which are still associated with the photos, and proves that they were not taken in the ghetto; they were staged, and the stories Khaldei attached to them were false. The presentation will be done with 36 slides.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Peter Pastor is professor emeritus of history at Montclair State University, New Jersey. His special interest is the history of diplomatic and military relations between Hungary and Russia/USSR. He is the author of numerous articles, a monograph, and editor or coeditor of several books.