Violins of Hope

These past two weeks, Berks County has had the privilege of hosting the Violins of Hope Exhibition, and I feel lucky to have been able to witness just a small part of what the program has to offer. One of the sponsors is the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks, who has a reputation for featuring excellent programs  in respect to increasing awareness of the Holocaust.  Once again, they did not disappoint. 

The featured violins were once the prized possessions of people of Jewish heritage.  Each tells its own unique story.  But, it's much more than the history and refurbishing of an instrument.  It's a reminder that many of those who once held one of these precious violins, were victims of genocide.  History shows us the numbers, but rarely details the individuals.  This exhibition is designed to highlight many of those individuals.  To honor them by letting their love of music play on as it has for centuries, since the violin has been a vital part of maintaining traditions in Jewish Culture. 

Before I briefly introduce you to some of the stories,  you might be interested in knowing the origins of the project.  The man who founded it is Ammon Weinstein.  He grew up in Palestine, where his parents had emigrated in 1938.  As he grew up, Ammon would learn that 400 of his family members, who remained in Eastern Europe, perished at the hands of the Nazis.  Ammon eventually became an accomplished violin maker. Once his reputation had been established, he set out to locate many of the violins that had been played by Jews, and made it his mission to repair them so that they could once more resonate the sound that had once been heard prior to the horror of the Holocaust.  According to the details explained on violinsforhope.pa, Ammon, himself, called these instruments Violins of Hope, allowing the voices and spirits to live on. 

Although there were several venues that featured various violins, I chose to begin my tour at the Berks Military History Museum, which is only a few miles from my house.  There were only two violins on display there, but I learned a wealth of information from the two volunteers who were there to represent the tour. 

It seemed appropriate that one of the violins on display was reconstructed as a memorial to all of the soldiers who fought alongside the Allies against Nazis, honoring those who lost their lives in doing so.  This particular violin was repaired by J. Panzram in Elmdale, Kansas.  There was no story about the origins of this violin.  It is featured on the right of this photo.

The instrument to the left belonged to Paul Lesser.  He was a German-Jewish immigrant, born in Hanborn, Germany in 1921.  He emigrated to the US in 1938 with his family as tensions were rising in Europe.  He studied to become a mechanical engineer at the University of Cincinnati.  When the war began,  this Jewish man enlisted in the Army and went to Germany to fight for his new country.  His violin had been stashed in a closet for thirty years before it was donated to this program.  

By this point, I was interested enough to learn more, so I decided to drive the five miles to Alvernia College, where there was another small display located in the Miller Arts Center.  There was the added surprise of festive holiday decorations on campus. What a treat that was!

It was there that I learned that Nazis used these instruments as tools to control the prisoners.  They were forced to perform for their oppressors, and for their fellow prisoners, oftentimes as they were being sent to their deaths. 

In some cases, it was a safety net, as musicians were valued for their forced performances. It was difficult to even try to imagine the anguish that these former musicians must have endured. 

The first violin that I spotted had been tossed from a train, back in 1942, after a large population of Jews had been arrested in Paris, and herded into cattle cars for transport to Auschwitz. 

The owner, upon realization of this situation, took the opportunity to toss his boxed violin when the train made a brief stop. He shouted that he certainly would not need the instrument where he was going, and as he tossed it onto the tracks, he exclaimed "Here, take my violin so it may live."  A french rail worker retrieved it, but since he did not play the violin, he stashed it in his attic where it sat for many years.  Upon this man's death, his children found the violin in the attic, and recalling the stories about it, they took it to a French violinmaker who told them about the Violins of Hope.  The instrument was donated, ultimately fulfilling the wish of its original owner.

This violin on the left of the photo below belonged to Abram Merczynski.  He was imprisoned in Auschwitz and Dachau, where he was forced to play his instruments.  He survived the holocaust and upon release, he purchased a new violin.  He gave his old violin to a young man who gave it to a violinmaker later in life.  It was then donated to the Violins of Hope program. 

In 1941, a group of Polish Jews was forced into a barn which was lit on fire by the local Polish citizens.  This violin, which had been in the barn,  was somehow saved from permanent damage.  All of the Jews perished. 

The brightly colored violin on the left is known as a Klezmer violin. The Mother of Pearl inlay was common among these folk group instruments. 

The violin was owned by a prisoner who was held in Auschwitz, and managed to survive, along with his violin.  It would have been played as part of a traveling performance group. 

Mark Gendler owned this violin.  

He was born in Latvia, and managed to evade German occupation by escaping east to Russia with his mother, and his violin.   Mark eventually became a performer and composer.  

These two venues that I visited gave just a glimpse into the collection.  The stories that I have repeated, vary in time, place and circumstance. Each one unique to the instrument.  

This afternoon, however, I was able to actually hear some of these violins showcased in a performance at the United Church of Christ in Shillington.  The program was entitled, "Songs of the Shoah", and it consisted of a series of musical performances ranging from vocal solos to a full choir as well as various string ensembles to full string orchestra.  

The program explained how Jews were deported to the Czech town of Theresienstadt (present day Terezín) as early as 1941.  The camp was used for Nazi propaganda since it held a large number of artists and musicians.  As an example, when the Red Cross scheduled a visit in 1944 of this camp, the Nazi's painted the houses, planted pretty gardens, decreased the population, and set up an orchestra performance for the delegation.  Their deception worked, and the Red Cross was no wiser to the brutality that the inmates were forced to endure. 

It was in this camp that hundreds of vocal and musical works were composed.  A handful of the musically gifted writers were featured in tonight's program.  All would lose their lives in a concentration camp, most of them in a gas chamber.  

Each piece was meticulously performed by local artists.  As the songs were sung and the pieces played, it was obvious that the authors of these works each had an unmatched talent.  Lives so tragically taken.  It's amazing to me that their work was preserved for future generations to hear.   They weren't sad or solemn, but rather musical stories...some of young girls in love, some of the beauty of the land, some pieces with a slight jazz featuring a lot of pizzicato.  Each one unique musically, but sharing the common tragic thread.

The actual violins were played by a string orchestra that featured students from local schools. They played "Elegy from Holocaust" which was the background music for a PBS series that featured the subject. 

After a brief intermission, we then sat for the final performance.  A full choir performed Selections from Annelies by James Whitbourn.  They were accompanied by an oboe, cello and violin who were truly remarkable.  I can honestly say that their music melted my heart with its beauty.  My eyes misted as the instruments melded as one, each complimenting the other, adding an extra dimension to this performance.

Each piece is a selection from Anne Frank's diary, set to music.  A truly moving performance. Words really cannot describe the depth of emotions that transpired upon hearing the words of a young girl of whom we all know the tragic ending.  

I feel quite fortunate to have had the opportunity to see this performance first hand.  The musicians were outstanding.  And the Jewish Federation of Berks County has once again managed to support a program that tells the story of the Holocaust while incorporating the talent of local musicians.  Kudos to the UCC Church for planning and hosting such an excellent opportunity for our local community.