Violins and Hope Exhibition – From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall

The Minnesota JCC is proud to present Violins and Hope – From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall an extraordinary exhibition built around the internationally renowned project and its moving collection of restored string instruments once played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. Each violin carries a deeply personal story—bearing witness to one of history’s darkest chapters while honoring those who faced unimaginable adversity and the resilience of individuals who turned to music as a source of solace, survival, and defiance.

The exhibition also features work by Daniel Levin, the first photographer to document— with remarkable depth—both the collection of violins that survived the Holocaust and the artful process of restoring them. Through hauntingly beautiful photographs and compelling text, Violins and Hope – From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall brings these instruments and their histories into vivid presence, inviting visitors to experience the violins up close, learn about the musicians who once played them, and engage in broader conversations about cultural memory, the persistence of antisemitism, and why remembrance matters. This exhibition is both a memorial and a celebration—of Jewish culture, identity, and the unbreakable human spirit.