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Violins of Hope
August 7 – September 7, 2023
We are proud to partner with Jewish Community Centers of Chicago (JCC) to bring Violins of Hope to Arlington Heights. For one month, view a selection of violins from this truly unique and historic private collection of string instruments played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. Each violin has been painstakingly restored and the collection is now touring Chicagoland libraries, museums, and cultural institutions with a message of hope, resistance, resilience, and unity.

Arlington Heights Memorial Library will feature six violins from the collection on the library's First Floor, as well as offer a suite of companion programs, both virtually and in-person.


About the Exhibit
Israeli violinmakers, Amnon and Avshi Weinstein, have spent the last 20 years collecting and repairing Holocaust-era violins and other stringed instruments from around the world, some with the Star of David on the back and others with names and dates inscribed in the instrument. Together they have lovingly located and restored the violins to reclaim their lost heritage, give voice to the victims and reinforce essential messages of hope, harmony, and humanity. The violins have traveled to cities across the globe, including Rome, Tel Aviv, Berlin, Cleveland, London, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Richmond and now Chicago.