When Sabrina Tabby plays a violin, she said she can feel the energy of all the musicians who played it before her.
"It stays in there, so it gets passed down," she said. "You feel a connection to the instrument and what's happening."
So when the violinist practiced on an instrument from the Violins of Hope collection ahead of her performance with the Atlys String Quartet and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra earlier this month, the weight of its history and story felt extra poignant.
Violins of Hope is a traveling exhibition that consists of 70 restored violins, as well as a viola and a cello, each tied in some way to Jewish musicians who lived through — and died during — the Holocaust.
"This exact material was in their hands," Tabby, who is Jewish, told IPR's Talk of Iowa during a rehearsal. "And you know, so much physical energy and emotional energy goes into preparing a concert, as classical musicians are notorious for just slaving away over every detail of a concert. I always think about that connection to the other individuals."
This spring, Violins of Hope has been bringing the instruments to events across Iowa in partnership with musicians statewide. The tour will last through the end of April.
The instruments that survived and the stories they carry
The Violins of Hope collection was built over decades by Israeli violin-maker Amnon Weinstein. His father, Moshe Weinstein, lost around 400 relatives during the Holocaust and later began collecting violins brought to him by survivors — instruments many could no longer bear to keep.
Some, according to Allan Ross, the executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, were nearly destroyed.
“A number of Jews who had immigrated to Israel after the war had brought their violins with them, and many of them — because they were reminders of Germany — didn't want them anymore," Ross said. "But they brought them to him and said, 'Look, if you want to take it, fine. If not, I'm going to destroy it,' because it brought back bad memories. So he began collecting these violins, keeping them, repairing them."
The instruments were preserved, and the collection today includes more than 100 items that are currently touring the state, divided among communities, including the Quad Cities, Des Moines and Sioux City. Each is tagged with its level of playability: Some are in excellent condition, others are very worn. A few are inlaid with mother-of-pearl Stars of David.
Ross said what unites them is survival.
“They were played in concentration camps, work camps, under the worst conditions imaginable,” Ross said. “The fact that they survived is just amazing.”
Meant to be played
Unlike most historical artifacts, most of the violins obtained by the organization are not kept behind glass.
“They're not museum pieces,” Ross said. “They're to be played."
Earlier this month, the Atlys String Quartet performed with several of the instruments. Musician Hannah Nicholas practiced with the collection's only viola.
She said performing with the collection connects her to her family's history. Her great-grandparents fled Berlin during the Holocaust, carrying instruments with them to the U.S. that remain in her family today.
“He kept up with music," she said. "He had this tradition in Germany that he kept going here, even as an immigrant who had to start totally from scratch. He would do chamber music at his house on Fridays. So it's cool. It's definitely, like, in my family history, and it's special."
Through concerts, school visits and exhibits, Ross said the goal of the Iowa tour is to keep the memories of those who played the instruments alive and to educate and confront the grim realities of history. Around 10 school groups are participating in programs tied to the collection, with musicians and speakers traveling to share both music and history.
“If you can know the story of one violinist or what happened to one violin, it's a personal connection to the Holocaust,” Ross said. “That's what we're trying to do with these instruments, is getting these young people to get that connection and to feel that connection and keep the music going.”
Upcoming Violins of Hope events in Iowa:
March 26: Remember me, Remember us at the Figge Art Museum
March 27: Civic Music Association Concert at Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University
March 28: Dance performance by Ballet Quad Cities at the Putnam Museum and Science Center
April 1: A Musical Witness To History at Pleasant Valley Junior High School
April 9: A Musical Witness To History at Davenport Central High School
April 10: A Musical Witness To History at Sudlow Intermediate School
April 11: Valor and Triumph by the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra at Wesley United Methodist Church
April 11: Masterworks concert at the Adler Theatre
April 12: Violin and piano duet at the Danville Methodist Church
April 12: Verschleppt: The Carrying Off of Markus and Anna Mattes at the Davenport German American Heritage Center
April 16: Dance performance by Ballet Quad Cities at the Figge Art Museum
April 18: Up Close Concert at the Figge Art Museum
April 18: Masterworks concert at the Des Moines Civic Center
April 19: Yom Hashoah - 45th Annual Holocaust Remembrance at the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University
April 20: Sioux City Tolerance Week
April 22: A Morning of Music, History, and Reflection for Siouxland Students at the Orpheum Theatre
April 22: Concert at the Orpheum Theatre
April 23: Violins of Hope: Music in the Shadow of the Rails at the Holocaust Rails Exhibit at the Sioux City Railroad Museum
April 26: Kaffee und Kuchen: The Holocaust by Bullets: The Twisted Path to Auschwitz at the Davenport German American Heritage Center and Museum
