A collection of stringed instruments originally owned by Holocaust prisoners has arrived in Northeast Ohio for a series of exhibitions and concerts.
Tuesday morning, Israeli violinmaker Amnon Weinstein handed a restored instrument to Cleveland Institute of Music president Joel Smirnoff, who gently twisted the tuning pegs to tighten the strings. It's one of 19 violins with histories connected to the Holocaust that Weinstein delivered for display at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
What's now known as the " Violins of Hope" project began 50 years ago when a Tel Aviv customer asked Weinstein if he could repair a battered instrument. It turned out that the man had been a concentration camp prisoner who played in a death camp orchestra. Weinstein realized that he was holding a history lesson in his hands. He put out a call for more instruments.
"I had a radio program, and I asked for violins with a story from the Holocaust," Weinstein recalls. "And one-by-one, it was like a snowball at the beginning --- one, two, three, four. And, it's not stopping, it's coming all the time."
The violins will be part of several educational programs, during their local stay. In addition, the instruments themselves will be played in a series of concerts, starting with the Cleveland Orchestra, this weekend.
