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This page is for members of the media to use in reference to Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust.

Media Contact:
Marissa Norris, Communications Coordinator
216.916.6318 | marissa.norris@ideastream.org

Documentary Vitals:
Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust
Directed by Lance K. Shultz
A WVIZ/PBS ideastream Production

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Approved Images:

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Klezmer music students Danny and Darby showing off the restored Violins of Hope they had the opportunity to learn the history of and play for Cleveland community members.

The violins were put on display in a special exhibit at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Cleveland.

Some of the Violins of Hope on display at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Community members had the opportunity to learn about the history of the violins and see them up close while on exhibit.

The Cleveland Orchestra played a concert featuring the violins and honoring the work of Amnon Weinstein, who was in the audience.

The performance was held at the opening of Silver Hall in the Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center on the campus of Case Western Reserve University.

Violin virtuoso Shlomo Mintz was the featured soloist of The Cleveland Orchestra concert.

Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Möst conducted the concert highlighting the violins.

About the Documentary:
Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust, narrated by Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody, is a documentary featuring Israeli violinmaker Amnon Weinstein and his efforts to restore violins recovered from the Holocaust. Some were played by Jewish prisoners in concentration camps; others belonged to the Klezmer musical culture, which was all but destroyed by the Nazis. From their amazing stories and Weinstein’s mission to collect and restore the instruments comes the inspiration for this one-hour documentary. For more details on the documentary, view the fact sheet.

About the Violinmaker:
Amnon Weinstein, one of the most respected violinmakers in the world, has spent the last two decades locating and restoring violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. His work began with locating violins that were silenced by the Holocaust and painstakingly piecing them back together so they could be brought to life again on the concert stage. Learn more about his journey here.

About ideastream:
ideastream is the consolidation of eight different programs and services that had previously been independently managed: WVIZ/PBS, with 4 channels of public TV service, and  training for teachers and caregivers in the use of technology for education;  90.3 WCPN, Northeast Ohio’s NPR news and public affairs station; WCLV Classical 104.9, Civic Commons, a community engagement platform; management on behalf of Ohio’s public broadcasting stations of the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau and The Ohio Channel, a statewide public affairs television channel available by broadcast and on the web; management on behalf of a consortium of local K-12 school systems of NOTA (North Ohio Technology Association, a broadband interactive distance learning network for K-12 schools) and SMART (Science and Math Achievement Required for Tomorrow), a professional development program for teachers.

This fact sheet includes film details on the Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust.

Media Contact:
Marissa Norris, Communications Coordinator
216.916.6318 | marissa.norris@ideastream.org

Title:
Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust

Directed by:
Lance K. Shultz

Narration:
Adrien Brody

Attribution:
A WVIZ/PBS ideastream Production

Television Premiere:
Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, at 9 p.m. on WVIZ/PBS – Cleveland

Duration:
56:46

Acclaim:
Awarded Best Documentary by the VIFF 2016 Vienna Independent Film Festival

For Jews enduring utter despair and unimaginable evil during the Holocaust, music offered haven and humanity. The strains of a beloved song supplied solace, even if only for a few moments. The chords also provided a vital reminder that even the most brutal regime could not rob them of their faith. No matter what, their souls could be free.

In some cases, the ability to play the violin spared Jewish musicians from more grueling labors or even death. Nearly 50 years ago, Amnon Weinstein heard such a story from a customer who brought in an instrument for restoration. The customer survived the Holocaust because his job was to play the violin while Nazi soldiers marched others to their deaths. When Weinstein opened the violin’s case, he saw ashes. He thought of his own relatives who had perished, and was overwhelmed. He could not bring himself to begin the project.

By 1996, Weinstein was ready. He put out a call for violins from the Holocaust that he would restore in hopes that the instruments would sound again.

All photography by Debra Yasinow.

Ideastream Public Media is a nonprofit and funded primarily by individuals like you. Become a member today to help fund our educational programs and services in Northeast Ohio.

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An American Graduate Champion commits their time, skills and resources to make sure that young people succeed. He or she is an individual who plays an active role in improving educational outcomes for students. A champion is a parent who is active in the lives of young people or a volunteer who creates a positive environment daily for youth in their community.

Make the commitment to help all young people succeed by becoming or recognizing an American Graduate Champion. Recognize yourself or someone else online now.

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Today’s global economy demands a more educated workforce. Communities are working together to improve 21st century learning and increase high school graduation rates to prepare more students for college and successful careers. Public media stations across the country are at the center of this community-based work — from quality content and forums to local partnerships and classroom resources — to increase understanding and access to solutions.

Download the American Graduate Fact Sheet

American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen is a long term public media commitment, supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), to help communities implement solutions to the high school dropout crisis. Public media plays a significant role building individual activity, community capacity, and national awareness.

The dropout crisis demands attention now, and we are rising to the challenge of doing our part to address this problem. A new study conducted by the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins School of Education finds that the American Graduate initiative has succeeded in building community capacity to meet the national priority of ending America’s high school dropout crisis.

Working with Alma and Colin Powell’s America’s Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, Johns Hopkins Everyone Graduates Center, and The Alliance for Excellent Education, and over 1000 local partners, the initiative puts faces on the numbers and increases understanding of the risks and solutions through national and local content, covering all facets of the issue for broadcast, web and  mobile platforms. In addition, American Graduate is engaging and empowering teachers, parents and students to help those most at risk of dropping out through community collaborations and classroom resources.

More than 80 public radio and television stations in over 30 states have joined forces with over 1000 partners and at-risk schools to shed light on the problem and share solutions. Through American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen, public media is increasing national and local reporting, convening diverse local stakeholders, and providing access to free, digital classroom resources for teachers and parents. By working with the community, public broadcasting stations are increasing the footprint of progress, reaching more children and families to seed the foundation for a prosperous economic future for our country.

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Broadway P16 Council/Slavic Village Development Corporation
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
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Join us on Monday, February 20 at 1:00 p.m. as we celebrate the 55th Anniversary of John Glenn's Mercury Friendship 7 Flight! Great Lakes Science Center and NASA Glenn Research Center will celebrate the 55th anniversary of John Glenn’s historic flight aboard Friendship 7 with a special presentation featuring remarks by former astronaut Dr. Donald Thomas, a crew member on four Space Shuttle missions and Cleveland native, and Dr. Marla Perez-Davis, NASA Glenn Research Center deputy director.

Live stream will be on this page starting Monday, February 20 at 1:00 p.m.

Gov. John Kasich’s budget includes a plan that would have businesses file a specific tax through the state, instead of through the municipality where they’re located. The state says it will save money, but communities say it’ll do just the opposite.

State tax commissioner Joe Testa says the proposal streamlines the process by which thousands of businesses would file their net profits taxes, having them use the state’s Ohio Business Gateway.

“But it handles large volumes now," he said. "We have 400,000 CAT tax filers, sales tax filers, all come in through the Business Gateway to the tax department now. We can do this.”

Testa says the Ohio Business Gateway is being upgraded now to prepare for the volume.

He says the plan could save cities $9 million a year, but the Ohio Municipal League says the state’s fees could be more than what some communities are paying now and that cash flow could be stalled as cities wait for the state’s quarterly checks.

The Ohio Municipal League’s Kent Scarrett compares the governor’s proposal to the federal government offering to come into Ohio and take over a process usually done by the state.

“And you’ll be good with that because we’ll do a better job – we have ways to make sure those dollars are coming back and you’ll actually get more dollars back. I think the governor and the leaders of the legislature and every Ohioan would probably stand up and say, ‘Over my dead body.’

The plan would have businesses file their net profits taxes through the state, which would then send back quarterly distributions to municipalities. The state says it will streamline the process for businesses, but Scarrett says the state’s fees could be more than what some communities are paying now.