Workshop of Schweitzer, Germany, circa 1870
Erich Weininger, a Vienna butcher and passionate amateur violinist, lived a quiet and musical life until 1938, when the Nazis marched into Austria. Arrested and deported to Dachau, Erich somehow managed to bring his beloved violin with him—a fragile link to the humanity the world was losing.
Later transferred to Buchenwald, Erich was no longer allowed to play. Yet he kept his instrument close, guarding it as a symbol of survival and identity. In a remarkable twist of fate, he was released from Buchenwald through the intervention of the Quakers, and he returned to Vienna—only to find himself among the very last Jews able to flee Nazi Europe.
Carrying his violin, Erich boarded an illegal ship bound for Palestine, but the vessel was intercepted by British forces. He was deported to the remote island of Mauritius, off the coast of East Africa, where he remained interned until the end of the war.
Even there, Erich’s spirit refused to be silenced. He formed a band with other deportees, performing classical, local, and jazz music in cafés and restaurants, keeping hope alive through sound.
When the war finally ended, Erich reached Palestine in 1945—and his violin came with him once again. This resilient instrument, which witnessed exile, imprisonment, and rebirth, was later entrusted to Violins of Hope by Erich’s son, Zeev Weininger, ensuring that its song continues to be heard.
