CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Instruments which survived one of the darkest times in human history bring a message of hope to Cincinnati. The Violins of Hope are in the Queen City.
Musical instruments which survived Hitler’s attempt to exterminate the Jewish people will be played in Music Hall on Tuesday night.
They were also in concert on Tuesday morning in a special performance for school children.
The violin can lift the spirits, even in the worst of times. For children, they can teach a lesson.
“Well it's a connection, and it relates to life and they were able to hear stories they probably have never thought about,” said Al Miller, a Holocaust survivor.
Stories of the Holocaust, the Nazi murder of six million Jews. Cincinnati school children heard stories told through music.
It was a children's concert with the Violins of Hope. Seven violins which survived the Holocaust, even if their owners did not.
Two of the violins were played in concentration camp orchestras. Professional musicians owned a few of the violins, just plain folks had the others.
“They're not Stradivariuses or Guarnieris or anything like that, but they have stories to tell on their own,” said Evans Mirageas, the concert artistic advisor.
The violins were restored in Israel and have been in concerts around the world. Violinist Giora Schmidt, whose great-grandparents were killed in Auschwitz and Dachau, says the violin is part of the Jewish experience, combining pain and joy.
“When I put the bow on the strings, I hear that sound and that's the sound I try to share on the stage even today,” said Schmidt.
Zahava Rendler survived the Holocaust because her parents hid her in a convent where music was part of daily life.
“I felt very warm, hope, peace… and it was just for me like a blanket wrapped around my body,” said Zahava Rendler, a Holocaust survivor.
For the children here, most of whom were not Jewish, the concert showed the power of music.
“I brought my 7th and 8th-grade class today. We started a string program at St. Michael's and all of my 7th and 8th graders play violin,” said Harry Pedigo, a teacher at St. Michael’s School in Ripley.
“As some of the Holocaust survivors said today, we're reliving what happened, and showing the hope that they had through music,” said 8th grader Rose Fryman, who is a violinist.
“My message is please don't be a bystander. Speak up for what's right and try to improve the world,” said Rendler.
The Violins of Hope were brought to Cincinnati by the local Holocaust and Humanity Center, and several other community groups.
