Press: ‘Violins of Hope’ fostered deeper dialogue about tolerance

One of the 57 violins on display during
Violins of Hope

Richmond Times Dispatch | Nov 19, 2021

During August, September and October, our region hosted the “Violins of Hope Richmond” exhibit for its first visit to the Mid-Atlantic. This extraordinary showcase featured a collection of 57 violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust and were restored to concert-quality condition by Amnon Weinstein, an Israeli violin maker and master craftsman.

Many of the violins were on display at the Virginia Holocaust Museum, the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Other instruments in the collection were selected by professional musicians for powerful performances in featured concerts by the Richmond Symphony and for community concerts in Richmond, Hampton Roads and Roanoke. More than 2,000 people attended these concerts, elevating the works of Jewish composers whose music was silenced by the Nazis but now lives on through the “Violins of Hope”.