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Levin
Hardcover (and E-book forthcoming)
$50.00 U.S. (trade discount)
164 pages with 84 color photographs by the author, 5 historic black-and-white photographs, 2 author photos, 2 news clippings, and 1 color drawing = 94 illustrations
ISBN: 978–1–938086–86–1
12.0" x 10.0"

landscape/horizontal

Published in October 2021/Second printing March 2023

Distributed by Casemate/IPM
cart www.casemateipm.com

Published in association with the George F., Stephanie M., and George L. Traub Fund of the Jewish Foundation of Cleveland, Milton and Tamar Maltz Foundation, and Center for the Study of Place

About the Author

Violins of Hope bringing message of love to Pittsburgh Sandy Rosen, chair, and Pat Siger, co-chair of Violins of Hope Pittsburgh, talk with hosts David Highfield and Heather Abraham about the important message of love and tolerance these instruments are bringing to the city. (Watch on CBS News Pittsburgh)

Book Events and Exhibitions
For the most current list of talks, exhibits, and book events, please visit Daniel's website.

October 4, 2021
Artist Talk
Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County, NY

October 24, 2021
Artist Talk
Reading, PA

November 12, 2021-February 27, 2022
Exhibition Violins and Hope: From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall
Sunday, November 14, 2021 from 2-4pm
Opening, Artist Talk, & Book Launch
Monday, November 15, 2021 from 2-3pm
In-Depth Artist Talk
Hartzmark Center, The Temple Tifereth Israel
in partnership with the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, The Temple's Museum of Art Religion and Culture, and The Jewish Federation of Cleveland, OH

Book Information Sheet (pdf)

Listen to interviews with Daniel Levin

Violins and Hope: From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall
by Daniel Levin
Foreword by Franz Welser-Möst and an interview with Assi Bielski Weinstein

Winner of the 2022 Gold IPPY (Independent Publishers Book Award) for Best Book of the Year in the History–Oversized category.

Finalist for a 2021 Foreword Reviews INDIES Photography Book of the Year Award.

This book chronicles the story of how violins from the Holocaust now sing in symphony halls!

Amnon Weinstein, a renowned Israeli luthier (violin maker) who was trained by three of the most revered Italian luthiers of the twentieth century, had a vision many years ago to restore violins that survived the concentration camps and ghettos of World War II, even when their owners often did not. His "Violins of Hope" project may be one of the most creative, effective, moving, and magnificent approaches to understanding the Holocaust and how one heals from such pain and loss. For his efforts, Amnon and his Violins of Hope project received the 2020 Anne Frank Special Recognition Award, created by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to honor those who have demonstrated a commitment to fighting intolerance, antisemitism, racism, or discrimination.

Daniel Levin is the first photographer to depict Amnon's workshop in Tel Aviv, his one-of-a-kind collection of violins that survived the Holocaust, and his artful process for restoring them. Through hauntingly beautiful photographs and compelling text, Violins and Hope becomes both an artful rendering of a very special man and a revelation of the ethereal, as we see how Amnon fulfills his dream of transforming tragedy into triumph in the most incisive and powerful way imaginable: bringing violins of the Holocaust back to life. Under Levin's care, the ambiance and idiosyncrasies of Amnon's workshop come alive, and the photographer's uncanny ability to celebrate both place and process through the beauty of light is nothing short of remarkable.

Amnon has already restored eighty-six violins to their highest playable condition, and they have been used in acclaimed performances by symphonies to packed concert halls throughout the world, beginning in Istanbul in 2001. Purposefully, Amnon makes certain that young violinists as well as the world's most famous virtuosos perform on his restored violins. In doing so, it's as if the past owners of the violins come back to life and fill our minds and bodies and hearts with joy and remembrance.

The book's foreword is written by Austrian-born Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra since 2002 and one of the most acclaimed conductors of the twenty-first century. The book concludes with the author's interview with Assi Bielski Weinstein, Amnon's wife and the daughter of Asael Bielski, the famous partisan fighter who, along with his brothers, saved 1,247 Jews in Belarus during World War II. Assi talks about the history of violins in Jewish life and during the Holocaust, the Bielski partisans, and the enduring legacy of the "Violins of Hope" project.


"Like a rich tapestry that keeps unfolding to reveal unexpected layers and designs, Levin's book intertwines the stories behind the violins he photographed at Weinstein's studio with important historical figures and events."
—Eve Glover, Jerusalem Post Magazine (read full article here pdf)

Levin1 Levin2
Opening, Artist Talk, & Book Launch Monday, November 15, 2021

 

 

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