'Violins of Hope' exhibit preserves the memory of Jewish musicians
Encased in glass, each violin represent a heartbreaking story.
Jewish musicians played these instruments in concentration camps and ghettos during the Holocaust for survival, resistance or comfort. Some were hidden away only to be discovered many years later.
More than 100 violins have been rescued and restored by violin makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein. They are descendants of Moshe Weinstein, a master luthier, one who makes stringed musical instruments, who fled Europe in 1938.
Over more than two decades, the father and son have been devoted to locating these violins as a tribute to those who were lost, including their relatives.
Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein created “Violins of Hope,” where the instruments are now being played in concert halls, exhibited in museums and used to educate people of all faiths all over the world.
Playing them once again may be a way to pay tribute to the original owner who lifted it, placed it under his or her chin and moved the bow with precision across the strings to make beautiful music in a time of terror.
Violins of Hope Greater Pittsburgh, which functions under the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, helped to bring the treasured exhibit to the Posner Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland.
It opened Saturday and runs through Nov. 21.
“Each violin has witnessed immense tragedy and unspeakable loss,” said Sandy Rosen, chair of Violins of Hope Greater Pittsburgh, during a press tour Friday. “They have survived against all odds, carrying with them the echoes of those who sought solace and strength through music. The melodies that once flowed from their strings now have the power to inspire and heal. I hope their stories and the lessons from this tragic era, where millions were murdered under the Nazi regime, will help us embrace our shared humanity and strive for a future without hate.”
Visitors can view the surviving violins, violas and cellos along with storyboards, photographs, videos and projected imagery. Docents will offer guided tours.
Throughout the next few weeks, some of the violins will be played by musicians of all faiths and ages. Most of the instruments were made in Germany, France and Italy. The oldest is from 1774 and can still be played.
Long embedded in Jewish culture before World War II, the violin took on a new meaning and significance after the Holocaust. For some, the ability to play spared their lives in concentration camps and ghettos or helped their families escape Nazi tyranny. For others, music provided comfort amid unimaginable loss and suffering.
Sharing the individual stories behind these violins can help people understand the reality of the Holocaust — the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of 6 million European Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators throughout Europe between 1933-45.
One of the stories is of a man who in 1942 was sent on a cattle train to a concentration camp. He heard voices of workers on the railways and said to them, “In the place where I now go, I don’t need a violin. Here, take my violin so it may live.”
He tossed the instrument to a worker whose children, when he died, took the instrument to a French violin maker who knew Amnon Weinstein and donated it to the collection.
Inmate Abraham Davidowitz who fled from Poland to Russia to post-war Germany to helped displaced Jews, played in the men’s orchestra at the concentration camp in Auschwitz — and survived. A man paid him $50 for the violin so his son could play. That son donated the violin to “Violins of Hope.”
Feivel Wininger of Romania, who was deported with his family to the Ukrainian ghetto of Shargorod, was given an Italian violin that his daughter donated to “Violins of Hope.”
“A violin is an extension of the person who plays it,” said Avshalom Weinstein at the opening. The third-generation Israeli violin maker now lives in Turkey. “We invite people to come and see the violins and read the stories. The message we want to stress is there are other ways to solve an argument. We need to be reminded of it so it doesn’t happen again.”
The exhibit was five years in the making.
A set of traveling instruments will be played in concert halls and classrooms at 50 events from Pittsburgh to State College and Wheeling, W.Va., over the next several weeks. A video is being created for seniors in care facilities across the state to be able to see it. Some of the events will be available via livestream.
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation is covering the cost for the more than 1,500 students to get buses and teachers to have curriculum materials, said Pat Siger, co-chair of Violins of Hope Pittsburgh, because the mission is to promote communal values of acceptance, inclusion and diversity through musical, educational and cultural events.
She said having the exhibit in Pittsburgh is wonderful because it is a welcoming city.
“The exhibit is a landmark community project that showcases the resiliency of the human spirit,” said Farnam Jahanian at an opening event Thursday. “It is truly breathtaking.”
Jahanian said he felt transported to a time “when people encountered unfathomable hate and leaned on the healing power of music to persevere through some of their darkest hours.
“Their violins embody their courage and hope, they embody survival and a determination to preserve a culture and a community at all costs,” Jahanian said.
He said hosting the exhibit comes at a very poignant moment as this month marks five years since the “horrific synagogue shooting in our Squirrel Hill community.”
An area of the exhibit is dedicated to the 11 people who died in the Tree of Life tragedy on Oct. 27, 2018.
“This was a senseless attack on our Jewish friends and neighbors,” Jahanian said. “And it pulled us together to stand against bigotry in all its many forms. Today, we understand the need to remain vigilant. We know that such hatred is not limited to our history books. This exhibit challenges us to continue building a more compassionate and harmonious world. “
Rosen said she believes Visions of Hope Pittsburgh is making an impact with this exhibit.
“Music speaks to the heart,” she said. “Music is part of our common humanity, part of our soul. This isn’t just about a Jewish story. It’s about a human story.”
Recounting some of the stories brought tears to the eyes of Rosen as she neared the Tree of Life part of the exhibit.
“I also hope this project can serve as a source of light and comfort for survivor families, victims of hate and our community overall in this fifth year since the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue,” Rosen said. “It is a time for unity and healing.”
The presenting sponsor for the exhibit is the Arthur J. and Betty F. Diskin Cultural Endowment Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Foundation and numerous other sponsors.
The “Violins of Hope” exhibit is free.
Exhibit hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday evenings and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 21.
A list of events can be found here.
Timed tickets are available here.
Details: violinsofhopepittsburgh.com
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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