A few years ago, while I was shooting behind the camera an event about Holocaust Day at Scholem Aleijem School, I heard the story that Ruti Jarmatz and Jorge Hartmann were telling about their grandmother Sara Goldman.

I could not believe my ears and could not help being moved by every single word I heard; the sad poem that Sara had written in Auschwitz.

Sara had stolen an unused notebook of sick prisoners (KRANKENBUCH) and a pencil that she used to write during her time in Auschwitz and Theresienstadt. She survived the camp, survived the war and returned to Hungary to get her life back, carrying the notebook amongst her few possessions. The book then remained unpublished.

Even with all the knowledge I have about the holocaust, I had never heard a story like Sara’s before. I had never heard of anyone who had written anything while in Auschwitz; yes, I knew of people who had written either before or after the war, but not inside the most dreadful and obscure of all extermination camps.

This is why the story of this woman caught my attention so much and left me with so many unanswered questions: How could anyone even think of writing poetry in such a terrible place as Auschwitz? How could anyone facing the worst challenges: oppression, hunger, cold, slavery work, physical and emotional suffering, to name a few, spare time for art at that very moment?

The first thing I did was to meet up with Jorge and arrange a meeting with Leopoldo, who runs a publishing house. I wanted the book to be published so everyone could read it, me first. I needed to hear Sara’s voice, to know her. Even before the content of the book was translated, I knew I wanted to film a documentary about it, about how an artistic process can develop even under the toughest circumstances.

Sara was an artist and therefore writing was like breathing for her. Her story deserves to be told. Against all odds, she wrote; she wrote to live, she wrote to survive, she wrote to endure despite not knowing whether she would make it and her book, her poems, her stories would ever see the light of day and be read.

I believe the role of art is of paramount importance. Now it is easy to state that art is liberating, but writing poems amidst the attempt to wipe off an entire culture is a big deal. Being a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz is a bid deal!

Many survivors wrote their memoires for the same reason: to get that trauma out of their system. Some of them are known worldwide, some have won Nobel prices, some are less famous, but Sara did it in Auschwitz!

I have with me the strong foundations that underlie any successful documentary: a great story and the published book she wrote 70 years ago which are still unknown.

Having been part of the project since its inception and helping have the book published has earned me the trust of the family at the core of this story to make a film based on these writings as I see fit, and has kept me constantly and greatly motivated.

A whole generation of survivors of the Shoah are passing away and we have a moral obligation to hear them before they depart; therefore, is why we cann’t wait, we have the need, the urgency to tell this documentary.

I believe that KRAKENBUCH can cross borders, be recognized and offer to those involved that partake on this project the benefit of perpetuating the memory and voice of those who survived the Shoah… but also of those who perished. This is a historic opportunity that will not be available in the future. In a few years, the already elderly survivors will be silent forever. Now is the time.

We are pressed with time and we would like to count on you to make “KRANKENBUCH” become a documentary.

Art endures over time, Sara Goldmand’s poetry and writings deserve to be unfolded and explored. “Sara’s Notebook” is already available in bookstores; her art is already immortalized and shall live. But I want to tell the world who that woman was, what made her want to write at such terrible historical and personal time. What the driving force was behind her desire to write poetry in Auschwitz.

This is the reason why, I believe, it is vital to tell this story.

Thank you for having taken the time to read this letter. Please find below my contact details which you are welcome to share with anyone who may require further information on the production-related needs for the KRANKENBUCH documentary project.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

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Dany Bobrowski

Telephone: +54911 5658-1097

Email: danybobro@hotmail.com