Violins of Hope

My husband and I watched a documentary on PBS last week about The Violins of Hope. The show shared about the violins, the restorer, and the 2015 debut performance in the United States in Cleveland in a synagogue remodeled to be a concert hall.

Amnon Weinstein's father Moshe escaped to Palestine, leaving behind all his family (about 400 relatives) who later perished in the Holocaust. Once he was established in Tel Aviv, he opened a violin shop where he built and restored string instruments, primarily violins. Amnon worked with his father and eventually took over the store. He had a few people bring in violins that had survived the Holocaust either in the camps or left behind in the ghettos. Most of them did not want the instruments back, they just wanted them not to be destroyed. 

Pretty soon word of mouth spread his mission of preserving these violins. Most needed extensive repair and restoration. They had once been treasures in their communities, played at weddings and other events, and passed down through the generations. Some were basic, some were fine violins with intricate insets of the Star of David. They piled up in storage in his shop.

A vision of what these violins could become arose in Amnon. After years of painstaking restoration work by him and his son, he launched his dream. The now playable violins would give voice to their owners who had perished. Some he had extensive background on, others because of their age he knew had been part of European Jewish communities during the Hitler years. The violins also were a way to remember and honor his own perished relatives.

The documentary told of how orchestras were formed. The Jews who could play were saved from death in the concentration camps, but at a great price. They survived physically, but at great torment to their souls. They played twice a day as the train cars arrived, serenading the people who were marched off to the gas chambers.
Often they arose and went along side the victims. One violin in Amnon's group belonged to a musician who finally laid down his instrument and joined the line of condemned people. He could no longer bear the part he played in their demise. Suicide of violinists was not uncommon. The Nazis were masters at destroying bodies and souls. However, the music allowed the Jews to cling to their humanity and to their community bonds.

For those who survived the camp, when they moved to permanent residences, they often put the violin in the attic. To play it brought back all of the horrific images of the camps. The music haunted them. One of the families who brought such a violin to Amnon, gathered in Israel to hear his daughter-in-law play it. Its owner was deceased, but his violin gave his voice back to his family.

Amnon's dream came to fruition. The violins have been played by youth orchestras, symphonic orchestras, professional musicians. Many communities have used them to educate people, especially the post-war generations, of the Holocaust. The violin voices continue to offer the hope of healing and understanding.

Fort Wayne, Indiana, is now one of the host communities. They have displays, lectures, concerts in many venues. You can see the schedule at the website. Be sure to click on the tab about violin stories to see some of the instruments and learn about the musicians. Some of the displays run thru December 1st.