Béla Király’s Tall Tale that Led to His Decoration as “Righteous” in Yad Vashem

Authors

  • Peter Pastor

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ahea.2026.627

Keywords:

Béla Király, Yad Vashem, World War II, Labor Service Company 106/8, Proskurov, Raymond Kaempfer, Arrow Cross

Abstract

In May 1993, General Béla Király was decorated Righteous among the Nations in Yad Vashem for protecting the lives of a Jewish labor company in the winter of 1943–1944 in the rear of the front in Proskurov, Ukraine. His recognition was based on false testimonies by veteran labor servicemen who were unaware that, during the winter of 1944–1945, Király, then a high-ranking official in the fascist Arrow Cross Ministry of Defense in Kőszeg, failed to respond to the suffering of 5,000 Jewish labor servicemen, of whom 2,500 died.

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Published

2026-08-21

Issue

Vol. 19 (2026)

Section

General Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Peter Pastor

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