Playing Level: Exhibition Only
Paul Leesers’s unusual but inspiring story merged with Violins of Hope just a few weeks ago in Louisville, Kentucky. Leeser’s daughter Linda always knew her father had played the violin, but understood little about his musical past and why she had never heard him perform on it. Tucked away in a closet since her father died in 1981, she knew when it came time for her to decide what to do with the instrument, the answer would become obvious.
Violins of Hope luthier Avshalom Weinstein accepted the violin last month while in Louisville for programs. Weinstein also accepted Paul Leeser’s photo album, parts of which are included in this exhibition.
The most important part of the violin is the story behind it. Born in Hanborn, Germany, in 1921, Paul Leeser and his family came to the United States in 1937 as conditions for Jews in Germany were deteriorating. He was trained as a mechanical engineer at the University of Cincinnati, after which he accepted a job in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Leeser enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces and was sent as a native German speaker behind enemy lines near the end of the war. The memorabilia in this case is original, on loan from Leeser’s daughter, and has never been shown anywhere else.
Paul Leeser’s violin will travel with Weinstein to other exhibitions before being taken back to Israel for restoration. It was made in Germany around 1898, has a crack in the wood, and the strings on the bow are coming apart, but all of that will be repaired.
“Unconsciously, I think I’ve been waiting for the right person, the right program,” Linda Leeser said. “I’ve used this metaphor before, but I feel the universe sometimes taps us on the shoulder … to do the right thing. So when I heard of Violins of Hope, I knew I wanted them to have the violin.”
Use the left and right arrows below to view the gallery photos.
