This violin is dedicated to the memory of Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds (1919–1985) of Knoxville, Tennessee, whose extraordinary courage saved Jewish lives during World War II.
Serving in the 106th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, Edmonds was captured at the Battle of the Bulge and held prisoner at Stalag IXA near Ziegenhain, Germany. On January 27, 1945, when the camp commandant ordered all Jewish POWs to step forward, Edmonds—then the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer—ordered all 1,292 American prisoners to stand together and declared, “We are all Jews here.” Even with a pistol to his head, he refused to betray his men, shielding over 200 Jewish soldiers from persecution. The Nazi officer backed down.
For this act of bravery, Edmonds—an Evangelical Christian—was later honored as Righteous Among the Nations, Israel’s highest recognition for non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. He is the first American soldier, and the first person to save American Jews, to receive this title.
The Roddie Edmonds Violin, part of the Violins of Hope collection, honors his legacy and reminds us of the power of moral courage to stand against antisemitism, racism, and hatred in every form.
