An unrestored unplayable violin that had been used by a Jewish street musician during the Holocaust.
Amnon Weinstein returns a Holocaust violin to his glass-and-oak violin cabinet in his Tel Aviv workshop.
A sampling of Klezmer Holocaust violins on Amnon’s auxiliary workbench.
An oil painting of the French luthier, Hippolyte Silvestre (1808–1879). Amnon purchased the painting in Paris. Instruments and art referencing great musicians, conductors, and composers surround Amnon in his workshop.
A carving of the letters M.C. on the back of a Violin of Hope violin scroll.
A detail of Amnon Weinstein’s process of removing fine shavings of wood from the rear of the front panel of a Holocaust violin.
Five Klezmer Star of David violins hang in one of Amnon Weinstein’s instrument cabinets.
From these violin bridges, Amnon Weinstein will select the perfect one to restore a violin that will be brought to him in the coming years. Old bridges typically didn’t survive the harsh conditions of the Holocaust era.
A personal letter from Dr. Helge Grünewald, the curator of the Berliner Philharmoniker, to Amnon Weinstein, thanking him for flying to Berlin where he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
A pristine bow that survived the Holocaust era. Marks from use, known as index, purposefully remain from the bow’s past users.
A sepia portrait of Asael Bielski, Amnon’s father-in-law. Asael was one of the three Bielski brothers who were featured in the Hollywood film, Defiance (2008). The Bielskis saved more than 1,200 fellow Jews during the war and are arguably the most recognized partisan Jews of World War II.
The view from Amnon’s desk. His father Moshe’s workshop can be seen through the open door. As boys, virtuoso violinists Itzhak Perlman, Pichas Zukerman, and Shlomo Mintz would come to Moshe for help with their violins. He supported them throughout their careers, until his death.
The Holocaust violin that Amnon dedicated to his in-laws, Haya and Asael Bielski. Asael was one of the three renowned Bielski brother partisans who lead other Jews to fight the Nazis in Poland.
A sampling of Amnon Weinstein’s medallions commemorating important historical musical performances. Center: The Jewish Palestine Philharmonic’s founder, violinist Bronislaw Huberman, with its first conductor, Arturo Toscanini.
The Jewish-owned Heil Hitler 1936 Swastika violin.
Etchings of Pierre Rode (1774–1830) and (right) Camillo Sivori (1815–1894) and an antique monochord are just a few of Amnon Weinstein’s pieces from his musical collections.
A small sampling of jars of varnish and spirits (alcohol) that Amnon uses in the violin, viola, and cello restoration process.
Amnon Weinstein using a minute luthier plane to delicately carve the back of the top of a Holocaust violin in order to improve its pitch and resonance to its highest sound quality.
