Jew Who Found His Nazi Twin Brother Dies

November 14: The twins grew up in vastly different environments after their parents split but shared the same nervous habits and love of jokes.

Jack Yufe, who was raised a Jew in the Caribbean while his brother grew up in Nazi Germany, has died of cancer at the age of 82.

The pair were separated aged just six months in 1933 after their parents split. Oskar Stohr moved to Germany with his Catholic mother and Mr Yufe followed his father to his native Trinidad.

Mr Stohr later joined the Hitler Youth movement while Mr Yufe served in the Israeli navy.

They were reunited at the age of 21 and at the time both commented that they were wearing the same clothes – a white sports jacket, shirt and wire-rimmed glasses.

They did not meet again for 25 years until they decided to take part in a landmark study of twins by the University of Minnesota.

Professor Nancy Segal who studied the brothers said: “They were a great example of how twins, despite different environments, ended up being very much alike.”

They shared the same nervous habits, hot temper and competitive drive – learning never to talk about religion or politics.

Their mutual habits and quirks included washing their hands before and after going to the toilet, sneezing loudly in elevators because they thought it was funny, reading books from back to front and playing practical jokes.

But they were described as having a “love-hate relationship” with the non-stop rivalry between them once even leading them to battle out who had the best technique for cleaning a dirty car window.

When Mr Stohr died of cancer in 1997, his brother could not bring himself to attend the funeral because he feared their similarities would disturb the family. (Agencies)