The Commandant’s Shadow Courtesy of Home Box Office, Inc. and Mean Streets Management.

Tuesday 27th January 
5:30pm - Tour of the Czech Scrolls Museum
6:30pm – Refreshments
7:00pm – Memorial Service and Candle Lighting
7:30pm – Film Screening followed by Q&A with Director Daniela Volker, Producer Gloria Ambramoff and Executive Producer Wendy Robbins

Join us on Tuesday 27th January as we mark Holocaust Memorial Day with a screening of The Commandant’s Shadow, which follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the 87-year-old son of Rudolf Höss, as he confronts his father’s terrible legacy as Camp Commandant of Auschwitz.

While Hans Jürgen Höss enjoyed a happy childhood in the family villa at Auschwitz, Jewish prisoner Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was struggling to survive the notorious camp. At the heart of the film is the historic and inspiring moment – eight decades later – when the two meet face-to-face. It is the first time the descendant of a major war criminal meets a survivor in such an intimate setting. Together with their children, Kai Höss and Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, they explore their very different hereditary burdens. It is a powerful reminder of why Holocaust Memorial Day remains so essential.

Tickets:
WS Member/Students - £15 per person*
Non-member General Admission - £20 per person

*Please note: we would never turn away a member due to financial circumstances, contact Louise, in confidence, if you're concerned.

About the Film

“The Commandant’s Shadow” follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the 87-year-old son of Rudolf Höss, as he faces his father’s terrible legacy for the first time. His father was the Camp Commandant of Auschwitz and masterminded the murder of over a million Jews; the life of Höss and his family was recently fictionalized in the Academy Award-winning “The Zone of Interest.” Now, “The Commandant’s Shadow” tells the story of the real people who lived on site at Höss’s death camp.

While Hans Jurgen Höss enjoyed a happy childhood in the family villa at Auschwitz, Jewish prisoner Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was trying to survive the notorious concentration camp. At the heart of this film is the historic and inspiring moment – eight decades later – when the two come face-to-face. This is the first time the descendant of a major war criminal meets a survivor in such a private and intimate setting, Anita’s London living room. Together with their children, Kai Höss and Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, the four protagonists explore their very different hereditary burdens.

The film features original excerpts of Rudolf Höss’ long-forgotten autobiography, written shortly before his execution. His words are the ultimate proof of what really happened at Auschwitz, documented by the perpetrator himself, countering denial and ignorance of the Holocaust.

This once-in-a-lifetime feature-length documentary explores the relationships of a mother and her daughter, a father and his son, and the long shadows cast by the crimes that impact generations. It raises questions about love, guilt, and forgiveness, but is ultimately a much needed story of hope, acceptance, and compassion.

In the wake of the atrocities of October 7th – and at a time when antisemitism has reached a level not seen since the Holocaust – “The Commandant’s Shadow” is a stark reminder that there can be no reconciliation without a true and honest reckoning of the past. Only then can we hope to avoid repeating history and build a better future.

About the production of “The Commandant’s Shadow”

“The Commandant’s Shadow” is written, produced and directed by Daniela Völker and produced by Gloria Abramoff, with Wendy Robbins, Neil Blair, Jonathan Blair, Matti Leshem, Joel Greenberg, Len Blavatnik, Danny Cohen, Sajan Raj Kurup, Jani Guest and Jamie Jessop serving as executive producers. Völker’s creative team includes directors of photography Rob Goldie and Piotr Trela, editor Claire Guillon, and music composer Gabriel Chwojnik.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with HBO Documentary Films, A Snowstorm / Creators Inc. Production, In Association with New Mandate Films, A Film By Daniela Völker, “The Commandant’s Shadow.” It will be distributed in theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures, and is rated PG-13 for thematic content involving the Holocaust, some disturbing images, and smoking.

Before the commemorative service we will offer a tour of the Czech Memorial Scrolls museum, located on the 3rd floor of Kent House. If you would like to join us, at 5:30pm, to learn more about the Scrolls, notify us below. 

The Story of the rescue of 1,564 Czech Scrolls by Ralph Yablon who donated them to the Westminster Synagogue, Kent House, London where they arrived in February 1964, has passed into history as a small but remarkable episode in the tragedy of European Jewry. As an intimate link with individual congregations that were destroyed by the Nazis, the rescued Scrolls are a symbol of sorrow but also of hope as they are read and used, becoming part of the many communities, Museums and Educational Establishments around the World.

If you cannot arrive at 5:30pm for the tour, you can contact the Memorial Scrolls Trust here, to arrange an appointment.