about violins of hope
Honoring history. Sharing music. Building understanding.
Violins of Hope is a collection of string instruments connected to Jewish musicians and the Holocaust. Many of these instruments were played during the Holocaust, including in ghettos and camps, under unimaginable conditions. Today, they are carefully restored and returned to the stage to share stories of memory, resilience and hope.
The Nazis used music and especially violins to humiliate and degrade Jews in ghettos and camps. They confiscated many thousands of instruments from Jews all over Europe. Violins of Hope concerts and educational experiences are the ultimate answer to their plan to annihilate a people and their culture, to destroy human lives and freedom.
VIOLINS OF HOPE PROJECT
With rising antisemitism and other forms of hate seen around the world, the lessons carried by these violins are especially relevant today.
The instruments are not displayed as artifacts. They are played in concert halls, shared through classroom and community education and experienced in public spaces, allowing music to serve as a powerful bridge between past and present.
Each participating venue features one or more instruments, creating a shared experience that connects Iowa communities while honoring local engagement.
Violins of Hope Iowa is a statewide initiative that brings this international project to communities across Iowa through a coordinated series of concerts, exhibits and educational programs. Arts organizations, schools, faith communities and cultural institutions partner to host events that invite reflection, learning and conversation.
Restored with close attention to both sound and history, these instruments are heard across Iowa as part of a collaborative effort to educate, remember and engage communities in meaningful dialogue.
“The Nazis are not anymore. The violins – they are. And the violins are playing, and when they are playing, it is victory. And when it is victory, you cannot take it away.”
Amnon Weinstein