In Spite of Darkness: A Spiritual Encounter with Auschwitz

Filmmaker Christof Wolf's In Spite of Darkness documents an interfaith retreat held each November at Auschwitz, the former Nazi death camp. This 2006 gathering follows a small group that includes a Zen master, an Israeli rabbi, an American priest, the daughter of a survivor, the daughter of a Nazi officer assigned to the camp, and others. In addition to prayer, meditation, and ritual, some remarkable activities occur at the five-day event. The participants assemble at the train stop that all of the camp's victims passed through before being sent into slave labor or to their deaths, congregate in the women's barracks to recall the long-gone inhabitants, and sing heartbreaking lullabies in the children's dormitory. In one segment, the rabbi recognizes that all humans (himself included) harbor the potential to dehumanize others. In a sense, the faithful here are reclaiming this ground—marked by brutality, death, and monstrous inhumanity—through prayer, while also purposefully facing the atrocities committed. As one participant remarks, the attendees don't want to stay stuck at the anger stage felt by many, but instead go deeper—embracing the sorrow while still moving beyond to a place of peace. DVD extras include interviews with the director and producer. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Block)