About violins of hope
Violins of Hope is a concert project based on a private collection of violins, violas and cellos collected after the end of World War II.
Many instruments belonged to Jews before and during the war. Many of them were donated or purchased from people who miraculously survived the Holocaust; some are on display due to the fact that family members of the owners of unique instruments donated them for the exhibition. Many of the instruments are decorated with Stars of David, which were added by early violin makers. At the beginning of the twentieth century, amateur violinists often bought instruments decorated with symbolic inlays.
Growing up in Israel, violin maker Amnon Weinstein met many klezmer musicians who purchased these pre-war instruments specifically for what they proudly called the Star of David. The more “Jewish” a violin looks, the klezmer explained to Amnon, the more likely it is that a local rabbi will recommend hiring its owner to play at a wedding, and the more likely the performer is to receive tips from the celebrants. Although the origins of these instruments are not always clear, they are symbols of klezmer and other Jewish traditions that were almost completely destroyed during the Holocaust.
All instruments have a common denominator - they are symbols of hope and a way to say: “Remember me, remember us. Life is good, celebrate it for those who died, for those who survived. For all people".
This collection is owned by violin makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein, a father and son team working in Tel Aviv and Istanbul. They dedicate their expertise and endless love to making sure these tools, most of which were quite cheap and simple, have a beautiful new look. Moreover, they also get a fantastic sound, worthy of the best musicians and large music halls.
The Nazis used music and especially violins to humiliate Jews in ghettos and camps. They confiscated many thousands of instruments from Jews throughout Europe. Today's concerts are the final answer to their plan to destroy the people and their culture, destroy human lives and freedom.
The sound of a violin is often compared to the beauty of the human voice. When they play with talent and soul, it is known that it touches hearts. This was the role of violins in the war - to touch hearts, to ignite hope for better times and to spread it. Wherever there was music, there was hope.
At the exhibition, violins represent the victory of the human spirit
over evil and hatred. In World War II, about
6,000,000 Jews, but their memory
is not lost, it comes back to life with every concert, with every act of love and celebration
human spirit.
Violins of Hope is not only a monument to a lost culture and people, but also an educational act for young students and adults wherever the concerts are held. In recent years, some of the best orchestras in the world have held Violins of Hope concerts, among them the Berlin Philharmonic , Cleveland Symphony Orchestra and many others.
Each concert brings together people of all faiths and backgrounds. Each project is accompanied by an extensive educational program: participants visit schools and hold concerts, telling the history of some instruments. For example, a violin that was thrown from a cattle train on the way from France to Auschwitz, a violin buried under the snow in Holland, as well as a violin that saved the lives of people who played in the camp orchestra and survived. So many stories, so many violins...
The exhibition project brought together more than 40 instruments and their individual stories, as was done in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Cleveland, Ohio, in the lobby of the Berlin Philharmonic, in Nashville, Tennessee, and many other places. I was able to attend an exhibition at the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center, Inc. | 303 N. Federal Highway, Dania Beach in Florida, and I am still impressed by what I saw. I highly recommend visiting.
Marina Lagunova
