24 | NOVEMBER 7 • 2019 

Jews in the D

W

hile nearly 80 years 
have passed since 
the infamous Nazi 
“lagers” were closed, dozens 
of musical instruments used 
there by the inmate musicians 
still survive. People have the 
chance to see 50 of 
these instruments — 
mostly violins — 
that survived the 
death camps, as well 
as Torahs and other 
artifacts of Jewish 
life on an upcoming 
Step On Bus Tours 
to Fort Wayne, Ind., 
Nov. 20, co-spon-
sored by the Jewish 
Federation of Fort 
Wayne.
The tour begins at St. 
Francis University, where 
docents will tell the stories of 
the violins and the people who 
played them — a presenta-
tion called “Violins of Hope,” 
inspired by the book of the 
same name by James Grymes. 
That was also the inspi-
ration that moved Amnon 
Weinstein, a talented crafts-
man joined later by his son, 
in their years-long scouring of 
the camps and ruins, looking 
for instruments. 
One of the violins they 
found was built in Bohemia, 
Moravia, in the 1700s 
although it may have hailed 
from a different place than 
where they found it. 
Over the years, the 
Weinsteins applied their 

woodworking talents to the 
instruments under their care. 
Today, the instruments glisten 
in their honored spaces in the 
“Violins of Hope” gallery. 
Next on the tour, travel-
ers will visit the sanctuary 
at Congregation 
Achduth Vesholom. 
There, Rabbi Paula 
Jayne will discuss 
their collection of 
Torah scrolls, once 
the proud possession 
of synagogues, but 
later stolen by the 
Nazis, intended for 
Hitler’
s never-com-
pleted “Museum of 
the Extinct Race.” 
 Some are described as 
“orphan scrolls.” Scroll No. 
1172 is some 250 years old 
and is on permanent loan 
from London’
s Westminster 
Synagogue. 
Travelers will enjoy a small 
boxed meal en route to Ft. 
Wayne and then a meal after 
the presentation at the temple.
The tour is $88 per person, 
leaves at 7 a.m. and returns at 
7 p.m. Travelers can be picked 
up at either Eddie Edgar Ice 
Arena at I-96 and Farmington 
Road or Tel-12 Mall, 12 
Mile and Telegraph Road in 
Southfield. 
Those interested in the trip 
must reserve their seats by 
calling Step on Bus Tours at 
(248) 619-6692 or emailing 
steponbustours@gmail.com. 
Payment is due by Nov. 18. 

Amnon 
Weinstein 
works on a 
violin 
. BELOW: 
A German 
Star of
David violin

COURTESY STEP ON BUS TOURS

Violins of Hope
See instruments that survived the death 
camps on a bus tour to Fort Wayne, Ind. 

We hope you’re hungry!

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features host Joshua Goldberg cooking and 
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Check out Episode 3 at thejewishnews.com, 
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