‘Violins of Hope’ escaped the Holocaust
Why do so many Jews play the violin? Because, according to one old explanation, when the time came to flee, you could always run with a violin.
Indeed, some Jewish fiddlers fleeing persecution in Europe and the Russian Empire managed to escape. But multitudes were caught, especially during the Holocaust.
That’s the tragic yet ultimately inspiring origin of Violins of Hope, a collection of stringed instruments that survived the Shoah, though their former owners did not.