She wore a long black dress with a blue silk shawl
wrapped around her shoulders, and her special
pearl necklace around her neck. “You look like a
schoolgirl.” Baba blushed and grabbed her grand-
daughter, holding her in a tight hug. Then, for good measure, she spit three times onto her fingers. Anna
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laughed. Those superstitions would never leave her
grandmother.
They walked over to the concert hall together,
joining the huge crowd of people who had been lucky
enough to get tickets. Close to the site, Papa turned to say good-bye to Anna and Baba. He would enter from
a back door and join the musicians onstage. He bent
to give her a hug. “Tonight, I will be playing just for you, Annichka,” he whispered in her ear. She wanted
to wish him luck but didn’t trust herself to speak.
So she just returned the hug and then watched him
walk away.
The fairground was packed with people. In addi-
tion to the two thousand entering the hall with
tickets, there were tens of thousands of people setting up beach chairs and blankets in the area. The concert was going to be broadcast through speakers that were mounted on lampposts. Anna knew that some of
these people had been here all day, holding onto the perfect spot where they could hear the concert being played and feel as if they were a part of it all.
She and Baba walked into the hall and found
their seats. The excitement was rising inside of Anna and threatening to overflow. She was practically
shaking with anticipation. The orchestra members
were warming up onstage. The violinists and cellists
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were tightening their bows, and the wind and brass
players were blowing into their clarinets, trumpets, and oboes. Anna caught her father’s eye. He smiled
broadly and then went back to tuning up.
Anna turned in her seat to look around at the
crowd. Behind her she recognized some of the con-
struction workers who were responsible for building
the concert hall. As promised, Mr. Huberman had
supplied them with tickets to this first concert. They looked uncomfortable in their stiff collars and tight dress jackets.
The crowd was starting to settle. The orchestra
members rested their instruments. The lights dimmed.
A spotlight shone on the stage as Mr. Huberman
entered and walked to a spot at the center. “Today is a day of victory,” he began. “This orchestra, our orchestra, is comprised of men and women who have been
fortunate to escape the hatred that is sweeping across Europe. We pray for our brothers and our sisters who are still there and struggling to survive.”
Eric, Anna thought again. And Stefan. Please let them both stay safe.
“Let us raise our instruments and our voices
against that hatred and show the world that we are
strong and will not be stopped. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Palestine Symphony Orchestra.”
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The crowd was on its feet cheering and applauding
even before Maestro Toscanini had taken his place
behind the music stand. He had to wait minutes with
his arms raised before the crowd settled once more.
And then the concert began.
Anna sat on the edge of her seat, listening as the
musicians attacked each piece with more energy and
passion than she had ever heard. The music soared,
then became quiet, then soared again. The orches-
tra played like poetry and fireworks mixed together.
Maestro Toscanini held the musicians together like
the captain of a ship. It was as if his baton was talking to them, setting the tempo, unifying the performers
and still allowing each section of the orchestra to
have its moment to shine. She gave herself over to the music entirely, allowing it to wash over and through her, savoring every note, feeling every change in speed and mood. The music nudged memories out of her
that tugged at her heart: Renata, Stefan, even Sabina who had played like sunshine, Baba’s cooking, the
puppet show her mother had taken her to as a child,
picking flowers, the gentle waves on the Tel Aviv
beach, Eric. She thought about all of that and more.
Every piece was followed by a standing ovation
could even hear the crowd outside cheering with
appreciation.
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And then, it was over. The last note had been
played, the last bow taken. The crowd was beginning
to leave the hall. Some of the construction workers
whom Anna had seen in the audience were help-
ing tidy up and straighten the music stands onstage.
She thought they looked so much more comfortable
now that they had removed their jackets and rolled
up their sleeves. Anna was still in her seat, breathless and exhausted. She felt as if every muscle in her body had been humming along with every note of every
piece that the orchestra had played.
“Stay here, Annichka,” said Baba. “I’m going to
find your father. Tonight we will celebrate with my
most delicious pancakes stuffed with apples.” Baba
dabbed at her eyes. “It was beautiful, puh, puh, puh,”
she said, her voice shaking. “Simply beautiful.”
Anna sank down into her seat, resting her head on
the back of the chair and closing her eyes.
“I hope this doesn’t mean that the concert put you
to sleep.”
Anna opened her eyes, sat up in her seat, and
turned to face Mr. Huberman, who was standing next
to her. She grinned. “I was trying to see if I could remember every note that you played.”
“And were you successful?”
“I think I might have been. I know I won’t ever
forget this.”
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Mr. Huberman took a long, deep breath and
looked around the concert hall. “I don’t think I will either,” he said. His eyes came back to rest on Anna.
“Did you approve of the performance, Miss Hirsch?”
Anna nodded, eyes shining. “The violins were
especially emotional during the lullaby,” she added.
Mr. Huberman looked thoughtful. “I have some
things that I still must do this evening. But I’d like you to come and see me—perhaps tomorrow. I have
something for you.”
Before Anna could ask what it was, Mr. Huber-
man turned and walked away.
Chapter
34
The next day, Anna made her way across the fair-
ground to the concert hall to see Mr. Huberman.
She had not had much sleep the night before. She
had stayed up with Papa and Baba for hours, talking
about the concert, reliving the highlights, analyzing every note that had been played.
“Did you see how pleased Toscanini looked?” Papa
said. “I’ve never seen him smile so much. He even
told us afterward that it was the happiest moment
of his life!” Papa sighed. “I will never forget this.”
Baba, true to her word, had stuffed them with pan-
cakes and other sweet treats. Anna remained awake
long after she went to bed, her mind still replaying the music.
In the morning, she was tired, but also curious
about this meeting. Mr. Huberman said he had
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something for her and she wondered what that could
possibly be. But she also had her own surprise for the maestro, something she had brought for him.
She opened the door to the concert hall and
walked inside. It was quiet, and for a moment, Anna
found it hard to believe that just hours earlier this place had hummed and throbbed with the sounds
of the symphony. Every chair was back in place,
every piece of paper removed from the floor, every
stand on the stage waiting for the musicians to take their places and begin to play again. There would be no rehearsal today; it was a day off for everyone. But in a back corner, seated behind a small desk, Anna
spied Mr. Huberman hunched over some papers, his
glasses poised on the tip of his nose. He was wearing a suit and tie—as always, so properly and formally
dressed.
Anna approached the desk and then stopped,
uncertain of whether or not she should interrupt him.
A moment later, he looked up and caught sight of
her. He stood up, moved out from behind his desk,
and came to stand in front of her. “Miss Hirsch,” he said, smiling broadly. “Thank you so much for coming in to see me today.”
“Did you stay all night?” Anna blurted out.
Mr. Huberman laughed softly. “No, I did manage
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to go home and get a few hours of sleep. Not much,
mind you. My mind was still buzzing with last night’s performance.”
“Mine too!” Anna exclaimed.
“The reviews of our opening have been wonder-
ful,” Mr. Huberman added. “I think our orchestra
will be a great success in this country.”
Now seemed the perfect moment for Anna to give
him her present. “There is something that I brought
you,” she said. With that, she reached into the
pocket of her jacket and pulled out the small flower, now dried and framed, that she had collected from
the beach the day she had gone there with Eric. But
as she went to hand it to him, she felt shy suddenly, and looked away. It was such a little gift, not at all worthy of this great man. He’s going to think I’m silly for giving him something so unimportant.
Mr. Huberman stepped forward, taking the
framed flower gently from her hands. “Is this some-
thing that you made?”
“Um, well, yes,” she stammered. “It’s a wild
poppy.” She went on to explain that she collected
and dried flowers as a hobby. “I gave one almost like this to my best friend, and left another one in Poland
… on my mother’s grave … before we left.” Could I sound any more clumsy? She felt as though she was
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making a mess of a situation that she had hoped
would be simple.
“Did you know that I was born in Poland?”
She hadn’t known that. “Do you miss it?”
He looked thoughtful. “I miss the Poland that
once was.”
She nodded and thought once more about Eric
and Stefan.
“Thank you for this beautiful gift,” Mr. Huberman
said, bowing slightly. “I shall treasure it.” He placed the flower carefully on his desk. “And now,” he continued, “as I told you last night, I have a gift for you.”
He walked behind his desk, reached into a drawer,
and pulled something out, which he quickly hid
behind his back as he walked over to her.
“I think you need your own instrument, Miss
Hirsch,” he said. And then, from behind his back, he pulled out a shining new clarinet and placed it into Anna’s hands.
She could not believe what he had given her. She
held the clarinet in front of her as if it were a delicate piece of glass. “But, it’s too much,” she stammered.
Mr. Huberman waved the objection away. “Not
at all. It will make me happy to know that you
have your very own clarinet.” He leaned forward and
whispered. “Make sure you don’t lose this one.”
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She looked up at Mr. Huberman, her eyes
brimming with tears. “I promise I’ll keep it safe,” she began. “But I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Practice hard,” he said. “That will make me very
happy. Practice makes perfect, you know.”
Anna smiled—Mr. Huberman sounded just like
her father. She clutched the clarinet to her chest,
scarcely able to believe that this was now hers. Yes, she would practice every day, and make her papa and Mr.
Huberman proud, along with her mother and Baba,
and Eric, too. No more barnyard animals. She would
play like the rolling sand of the desert and like the waves on the sea.
“Perhaps you will be the next generation to play in
my lovely orchestra,” added Mr. Huberman. “Think
about how wonderful that would be.”
Anna smiled up at Mr. Huberman. “Yes, that
would be wonderful.” And then, with her beautiful
new clarinet in her hands, she turned and headed
home.
Author’s Note
Although The Sound of Freedom is a work of fiction, it is based on a true story about a famous Jewish musician by the name of Bronislaw Huberman, who was born
in 1890. Even as a child, he was thought to be a genius on the violin. At the age of eight, his father moved him from Poland, the country of his birth, to Germany,
where he studied with some of the greatest violinists of that time. He played in concerts in the U.S., in Russia, and across Europe.
But by the early 1930s, Huberman was becoming
quite distraught over the rising anti-Semitism in
Germany under Adolf Hitler. Huberman canceled all
his concerts in Germany, refusing to play in a country that would treat Jews with such hatred.
In 1934, Huberman went to Palestine. He was
touched by the passion of the people who lived there and was determined to create a symphony orchestra in 246
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that country and fill it with Jewish musicians from
across Europe who were being discriminated against.
He traveled through Czechoslovakia, Austria, Poland, and Hungary to audition these musicians, turning his back to them while they played, and making his decision on who to accept based solely on their musical talent. It was often painful to choose among those who were good enough for this new orchestra and those
who were simply not up to the task.
Even though it was virtually impossible for Jews
to leave their home countries at this time, and it was equally impossible to find countries that would be
willing to take them in, Huberman was able to secure travel documents for his chosen musicians, which
enabled them to come to live in Palestine and be part of his new symphony orchestra. At one point, all their travel documents were placed on hold when unrest in
Palestine escalated. It took several months before the travel restrictions were lifted and these musicians could finally leave their troubled countries. But not everyone adjusted to life in Palestine. Several of the musicians in Huberman’s orchestra decided to leave and return
to their home c
ountries. Those musicians and their
families were eventually arrested and perished in the death camps that became the horrifying symbol of
the Holocaust.
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The inaugural concert of the Palestine Symphony
Orchestra took place on December 26, 1936. Huberman
had even convinced the most famous conductor of that time, Arturo Toscanini, to conduct this opening concert. The concert was attended by two thousand people, including many dignitaries from across Palestine.
There were tens of thou sands who gathered outside the newly finished concert hall to try to hear a bit of the program. The concert was also broadcast worldwide.
Huberman sat in the audience for that inaugural
concert. It is also true that his violin was stolen when he was on tour in the United States. The violin finally surfaced in 1985, long after Huberman’s death. In 2001, it was purchased by the American violinist Joshua Bell for a reported four million dollars.
The Palestine Symphony Orchestra went on to be-
come a huge success, and in 1948, they played at the formation of the state of Israel and were renamed
the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. They continue to play to this day. Many famous musicians have played
with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. And over
the years, several of the de scendants of the original Huberman orchestra have gone on to play in the Israeli Philharmonic. The current conductor, Zubin Mehta,
will retire in 2018.
There were approximately seventy Jewish musicians
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who were part of the original orchestra that Bronislaw Huberman created. But he also managed to get travel
documents for the families of those musicians. In all, he brought approximately one thousand Jewish people to
Palestine between 1935 and 1939. He saved all of their lives and the genera tions that would follow them.
Sources
1. Hitler: The Pathology of Evil, G. Victor, Potomac Books, 2008, p. 92
2. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/orchestra-of-exiles/
star-violinist-who-saved-jews-before-the-holocaust/
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