This violin belonged to Hana (Neti) De Leo Asher (1921–2022), born in Arnhem, Holland, who lived most of her life in Israel and reached the age of 101. It accompanied her through World War II and later immigrated with her to Palestine.
Hana grew up in a Zionist family of nine children and as a teen met her future husband, Naftali (“Harry”) Asher, in a youth movement. In 1939 she briefly visited Palestine, but when they planned to immigrate together in 1940, war had begun. They married in Amsterdam in 1941 and soon worked in Loosdrecht, caring for Jewish children. When Nazi deportations threatened, their efforts connected with the underground network of Joop Westerveld, a Christian headmaster later executed for his rescue work and honored as Righteous Among the Nations.
In 1942 Hana’s parents and four siblings were deported and murdered. She and Naftali survived under false Christian identities. When Hana became pregnant, she hid in a convent, giving birth to her daughter Tinka (later Nehama), who was sheltered by the Kirpnstein family. Hana herself endured months of hiding, sometimes in barns or even pigsties, before returning to the Kirpnsteins’ attic. Meanwhile, Naftali risked his life moving children to new hiding places.
Liberated in April 1945, Hana and Naftali were reunited with their daughter. A year later they immigrated to Kibbutz Yavne with Nehama, newborn son Uri, several orphans, and Hana’s violin. There they raised five children.
Though set aside for decades, Hana’s violin survived with her. Today, restored and played again, the Asher Violin tells their story of courage, loss, and survival.
