Recorded Books Inc. - Orchestra Of Exiles: the Story Of Bronislaw Huberman, the Israel Philharmonic, And The One Thousand J Ews He Saved From Nazi Horrors

One cannot read very much about the Holocaust without being struck... by the indications of diabolical inspiration for what happened. It appears in the extraordinary cruelty of the Nazis, in the philosophy of their leaders, in their explicit hatred of God and of religion, in their determination to wipe out Christianity as well as Judaism, in their open embrace of paganism and occultism, in their sexual perversity, and in their satanic, cultic practices.

Roy H. Schoeman, author of Salvation Is from the Jews

By the early 1920s, the Great War in Europe has ended, but its devastating results remain. People are starving. Crying children run barefoot down debris-strewn streets. Families are homeless, cold, and destitute. A blanket of dark disillusionment shrouds Europe, suffocating dreams and smothering hopes. Despondent veterans, still wearing bloodstained, lice-infested uniforms, stand dispassionately on street corners, staring deadpan into space, dangling their arms by their sides in utter defeat and holding within their hearts no hope of finding a job, or even a crust of bread.

In Munich, Germany, the slight, pale man with brown hair parted to one side stands on a platform, his head erect, his steel-blue eyes fixed on the faces of hungry crowds. Loud, and with great drama, he shouts words of hate and words of hope to hundreds of German people who so desperately want his promises to come true.

Once I really am in power, he bellows, his voice strange and hypnotic, my first and foremost task will be the annihilation of the Jews. As soon as I have the power to do so, I will have gallows built in rows at the Marienplatz in Munich... as many as traffic allows. Then the Jews will be hanged indiscriminately, and they will remain hanging until they stink. They will hang there as long as the principles of hygiene permit.

He pauses, and continues: As soon as they have been untied, the next batch will be strung up, and so on down the line, until the last Jew in Munich has been exterminated. Other cities will follow suit, precisely in this fashion, until all Germany has been completely cleansed of Jews.

When Adolf Hitler finishes his speech, some Germans applaud wildly, cheering and calling out with supportive enthusiasm. They seem ready for a new government, fresh leaders who will restore respect and prosperity to their war-humiliated fatherland. Others remain deathly quiet, as if worried about their family members should this man become Germanys leader.

I n Berlin, 1934, young Horst Salomon shouts, lifts his hands above his head, and taps his feet in an excited dance. His mother bursts into his room, seeming alarmed by his sudden enthusiastic roar.

Horst! she shouts. What has happened?! Why are you making so much noise?

The muscular Jewish man waves a letter and picks up his mother, laughing and swinging her around until she orders him to stop.

Put me down, Horst! Youre making me dizzy! she cries, laughing. Tell me whats going on!

Mother! Ive just heard I will be participating in the weight-lifting competition here in Berlin during the 1936 Summer Olympic Games! The International Olympic Committee has awarded the Summer Games to our city!

Oh, Horst! she cries. This is wonderful! Its what youve always wanted!

Watch out, Josef Manger! Horst shouts. Im going for gold!

O ne year later, Horst ties his French horn to his motorcycle and dashes to the Berlin concert hall, running inside and joining the rehearsal already in progress. When the practice ends, the conductor, Wilhelm Furtwngler, approaches him.

Son, he says softly. Please be on time for our next rehearsal. The Berlin Philharmonic needs you from the beginning.

Yes, Maestro, Horst says, smiling.

H orst and Maestro Furtwngler have become good friends through the orchestras family of musicians. They meet often for coffee in a nearby Berlin caf. At one meeting, Furtwngler seems downcast.