Holocaust-Era Restored Violins To Be Played At Wilmette Concert

WILMETTE, IL — Violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust will be featured in concert next month in Wilmette.

Aviva Chertok, an award-winning Russian American violinist, and William Herzog, a professor of violin at Northern Kentucky University, are set to perform in a "Violins of Hope" musical event at June 4 at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life & Learning, 2904 Old Glenview Road.

"It is always special to share the beauty and power of music with an audience," Chertok said in a statement. "Playing these instruments is a profound experience for me that honors the memory of those who came before us and inspires hope for the future."

The Violins of Hope project features items from a collection of restored violins, violas and cellos acquired since the end of World War II by father-and-son violinmakers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein, who work in Tel Aviv and Istanbul.

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"The Nazis used music and especially violins to humiliate and degrade Jews in ghettos and camps. They confiscated many thousand instruments of Jews all over Europe," according to the project's website. "Our concerts are the ultimate answer to their plan to annihilate a people and their culture, to destroy human lives and freedom."

The Weinsteins' instruments have been featured in performance by Berlin Philharmonic and Cleveland Symphony, among others.

Next month's concert in Wilmette will also include a discussion about the history and significance of the featured violins, according to organizers. Tickets are available online.

"We are honored to bring these rare instruments to Wilmette and share their stories with our community," Chabad Wilmette Co-Director Rabbi Dovid Flinkenstein said in a statement. "Violins of Hope is a powerful tribute to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of music."