A talented Polish violinist of Jewish origin, Bronisław Huberman, was extremely unlucky: the thieves loved his violin. Apart from making music, he spread the idea of a United Europe.
Bronisław Huberman was born on December 19, 1882 in Częstochowa. Already as a young boy, he turned out to be an extremely talented violinist. He made his first public concert at the age of 7.Soon, he and his parents left for Berlin, where he began further education. He performed in European capitals. At that time, the Polish aristocrat, Count Jan Zamoyski, took him under his protection.
An advocate of a United Europe
The career of the young artist developed smoothly. At the age of 15, he toured the United States and Russia. He also gave concerts in his homeland, Poland. After World War I, in addition to European countries, he also performed in South America and visited Mandatory Palestine for the first time.
Perhaps his experiences taken from many years of travel resulted in the idea of a United Europe, which he promoted in his political texts. He was undoubtedly ahead of his time in this matter because, as we know, the process of European integration started only after the Second World War.
He created a Jewish orchestra
After the German Nazis came to power and created the Third Reich, life in Berlin, where he lived, became more and more difficult for Jews so, he moved to Vienna. He visited Tel Aviv several times and organized the Palestinian Symphony Orchestra there. The group consisted of Jews who escaped from the Nazi regime.
The thieves stole his violins
Huberman toured tirelessly. Before the outbreak of World War II in the United States, his 1713-year Stradivarius violin was stolen. The thief understood music and kept the violin until his death. While dying, he told his wife how he had gained it. Huberman experienced a similar situation in Łódź. There, however, he was helped to recover the violin by the Jewish gangster Menachem Bornsztajn.
He helped Poles
Returning from the tour, he had an accident in a plane crash and injured his hands. After rehabilitation, he returned to touring and performed during World War II. He played at a concert of Polish music in New York in 1944. He was also involved in helping Poles who escaped from the aggression of Germany and the Soviet Union. He died on December 16, 1947.