Curator Conversations: Violins of Hope

“It is the conscience of America that will not permit to go unrebuked conduct that shames humanity itself.” – Rabbi Edward N. Calisch, 1938

It was with those words—as resonant today as they were then—that a Richmond rabbi warned both Jewish and non-Jewish communities about the tragedy that was unfolding in Nazi-occupied Europe.

One violin survived the horrors of Dachau and Auschwitz; another is dedicated to a brother and sister who played concerts in the ghetto of Vilna; and a third recalls the powerful attraction of a klezmer band to a young boy who escaped Eastern Europe and would later open a violin shop in Israel. Each instrument in the Violins of Hope collection tells its own story of resilience and survival.

In conjunction with the VMHC’s participation in Violins of Hope-Richmond, Israeli violin maker Avshi Weinstein—son of Violins of Hope founder Amnon Weinstein—will join Andrew Talkov, VMHC Sr. Director of Curatorial Affairs, to discuss Violins of Hope and reflect on the powerful stories behind the instruments currently on display at the VMHC.