"Be a Witness (DC)"

18 March 2025

1 min 44s

Writing to reach you.

Robert 'Bob' Hanf was a Dutch composer born in 1884 to parents of German-Jewish descent. In 1944, he was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. He wrote a letter to his family, though it was censored by the camp authorities. "It is acceptable, beautiful here," Hanf 'writes', though "a little crowded and narrow." It only gets worse from here.

The letter is read by actors on behalf of the Royal Ontario Museum, as part of the 'Auschwitz: Not Long Ago, Not Far Away' exhibition. Together, they deliver the 'approved' take on Hanf's ordeal, where he's treated to a toothbrush and plays down his shaved head ("I didn't have much hair anyway, so my bald head doesn't matter so much"). Now the world knows what it knows about Auschwitz and camps like it, the letter reads like a sick joke.

It's left to a young girl to read Hanf's last words: "What will be the end? Regards, your Bob." The composer was murdered soon after, but his memory lives on thanks to those who read between the lines decades later. This powerful communication from agency Broken Heart Love Affair and director Jeremi Durand uses stark production design, visual effects, and the humble power of the human voice to convey the exhibition's power.

Canada

Museums / Entertainment Centres