Block 27 and the Possibilities of Sound: Affect, History, and Creating the Space “In-Between”

Upon their successful bid to plan and design the permanent exhibit of Block 27—the Jewish Pavilion in the National Exhibit at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum—Architect Tal de Lange stated that Block 27 “must be suffused with two primary features: Simplicity and the Senses” and that their primary challenge would be to create an exhibit that conveyed the enormity of the Holocaust in a “clear and accurate manner” to visitors who were predominantly “young, non-Jewish, European citizens.” Their focus on “the senses” led them to curate a highly affective experience, including through the use of sound and music, and the incorporation of “Ani Ma’Amin,” a Jewish prayer of faith and Messianism. This chapter explores the sonic experience of “Ani Ma’Amin,” as an affective agent, and argues that through its lyrics and musical elements, it contributes to the cultivation of an affective soteriological “third space.” That is, an environment that breaks down a museum visitor’s individuality—and with that any collective affiliations, such as nationalities, religion, or other personal beliefs. Instead, it invites them into a new collective that focuses on feeling, rather than fact, and offers the multiplicity of diverse—and often contrasting—emotional responses felt when one visits the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial museum.