1803
Playing Level: Excellent
The Moshe Weinstein violin, made by Johann Gottlieb Ficker around 1800.
This violin was a life-time friend of Moshe Weinstein, our first-generation violin maker. Born in a Shtetl in East Europe little Moishale fell in love with the sound of the violin. It happened when a klezmer troupe arrived in the shtetl to play at a rich man’s wedding. While all children gathered under the table to hide and steal sweets, Moishale was hypnotized by the sound of music. After a few festive days the troupe left and so did Moishale who followed the klezmers out of town. His mother, Ester, looked for the boy to no avail.
Well, when he was found and dragged back home, he was first punished and then—got a very simple violin! This was a turning point in our family history. Moishale learnt to play by himself and later studied in the music academy in Vilna, where he met Golda, a pianist, and both immigrated to Palestine in 1938.
Before leaving Europe, Moshe Weinstein went to Warsaw to study with Yaacov Zimermann to repair string instruments. Since most Jews play violins, thought Moshe, they would need a violin maker in the new land. He first worked in an orchard picking oranges and a year later opened a violin shop in Tel Aviv.
Loyal to the tradition of helping out young prodigy kids making their first steps in music, he supported many Israeli talented children among them—Shlomo Mintz, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman and many others.
