Sixteen survivors of the Holocaust, for the first time in decades reclaimed their voices, while they were being celebrated in the marking of Israel’s 60th Anniversary on September 24, 2008. These survivors were violins that finally told their courageous tales of survival and rebellion against the Nazis.
One violin was owned by a boy named Motele who volunteered in the rebellion of a village against the Nazis. He would perform for the Nazis and use the opportunity to blow up Nazis buildings. Sefi Hanegbi, whose father also played the violin with Motele said, “After each performance, Motele would hide his violin in the building and walk out with an empty case. He would return with the violin case full of explosives, stuffing them into cracks in the walls, and eventually setting them off.”
Sadly, Motele was killed during an ambush by the Nazis, and his violin was taken by the Hanegbi family to Israel. For years Motele’s violin lay forgotten in a closet, waiting for the day when it would be played again, and be able to tell the story of its past owner.
The man responsible for restoring these abandoned violins was Luthier Amnon Weinstein, a violin maker who lost most of his family in the Holocaust. He received each tattered violin, with the “Star of David” engraved on some, from current owners and revived the violins back to life so they could be played again.
Weinstein said, “By restoring their violins, their legacy is born again.”
The 16 violins were played by Israeli musicians Shlomo Mintz, Yair Dalal and Turkey’s Cihat Askin. They were accompanied by the Instanbul Philharmonic and the Ra’anana Symphonete.
The profit from the concert went to an organization focused on helping Israeli children called Meir Panim Layeled.
One violin was owned by a boy named Motele who volunteered in the rebellion of a village against the Nazis. He would perform for the Nazis and use the opportunity to blow up Nazis buildings. Sefi Hanegbi, whose father also played the violin with Motele said, “After each performance, Motele would hide his violin in the building and walk out with an empty case. He would return with the violin case full of explosives, stuffing them into cracks in the walls, and eventually setting them off.”
Sadly, Motele was killed during an ambush by the Nazis, and his violin was taken by the Hanegbi family to Israel. For years Motele’s violin lay forgotten in a closet, waiting for the day when it would be played again, and be able to tell the story of its past owner.
The man responsible for restoring these abandoned violins was Luthier Amnon Weinstein, a violin maker who lost most of his family in the Holocaust. He received each tattered violin, with the “Star of David” engraved on some, from current owners and revived the violins back to life so they could be played again.
Weinstein said, “By restoring their violins, their legacy is born again.”
The 16 violins were played by Israeli musicians Shlomo Mintz, Yair Dalal and Turkey’s Cihat Askin. They were accompanied by the Instanbul Philharmonic and the Ra’anana Symphonete.
The profit from the concert went to an organization focused on helping Israeli children called Meir Panim Layeled.
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