Dimensions
135 x 203 x 19mm
A stirring testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of music, <I>Violins of Hope</I> tells the remarkable stories of violins owned by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust (some surviving when their owners did not) through the work of internationally-recognized Israeli violin maker Amnon Weinstein, who has spent two decades bringing these neglected, severely damaged instruments back to life. The violin has formed an important aspect of Jewish culture for centuries, both as a popular instrument with classical Jewish musicians-Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell-and also a central factor of social life as part of the enduring Klezmer tradition. But during the Holocaust, the violin assumed extraordinary new roles within the Jewish community. For some musicians, the instrument was a liberator; for others, it was a savior that spared their lives. For many, the violin provided comfort in mankind's darkest hour, and, in at least one case, helped avenge murdered family members. Above all, the violins of the Holocaust represented strength and optimism for the future. Wherever there were Jews, there were violins. Wherever there were violins, there was hope. Today, these instruments serve as powerful reminders of an unimaginable experience-they are memorials to those who perished and testaments to those who survived. In this spirit, renowned Israeli violinmaker Amnon Weinstein has devoted the last twenty years of his life to restoring the violins of the Holocaust as a tribute to those who were lost, including 200 of his own relatives. Behind each of these violins is a uniquely fascinating and inspiring story, and these narratives are captured by internationally recognized musicologist Jay Grymes in <I>Violins of Hope</I>. Juxtaposing them against one man's harrowing struggle to reconcile his own family's history and the history of his people, this insightful, moving, and achingly human book presents a new way of understanding the Holocaust.
