Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life
Celebrating Jewish Life in Connecticut
Film producer and director Josh Aronson will speak about Orchestra of Exiles, his
documentary that tells the story of Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman, who rescued
nearly 1,000 Jewish musicians from the Holocaust by bringing them to Palestine to
found the orchestra that would become the Israel Philharmonic.
You may wonder — who is Bronislaw Huberman? At the young age of fourteen, Bronislaw Huberman had played the Brahms Violin Concerto in Vienna — winning high praise from the composer himself, who was there. Instantly famous, Huberman then began touring all over the world and received invitations to play for royalty in Europe. But after witnessing the tragedy of World War I, he committed his phenomenal talent and celebrity to aid humanity.
Following his studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, Huberman joined the ranks of Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein in calling for peace through the Pan-European movement. But when hope for their noble vision was destroyed by the rise of Nazism, Huberman began a crusade that would soon become his greatest legacy — the creation in 1936 of the Palestine Symphony which would later become the Israel Symphony.
Film Director Aronson began his career as a still photographer for Time Life, Aronson, directing
television films and commercials. Through Aronson Films, he directed MTV videos,
television pilots and specials and over 500 commercials before turning to
documentaries in 1999. Since then, he has made many award-winning
documentaries, the latest of which is To Be of Service, a feature documentary that
explores stories of veterans.
Mr Aronson will be sharing with us film highlights, themes and stories that run through the film and how it took more than three years to complete among other things. Attendees may prefer to view the film in advance or following the presentation.
The film features commentary from esteemed musicians like Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman and Zubin Mehta, and explores
Huberman’s transformation from a focus on his career to a heroic effort to save lives
and preserve cultural heritage. It is available for streaming on VIMEO and APPLE TV.
Join us for what is sure to be another terrific Speaker Series event!
With gratitude to the RENE BLOCH FOUNDATION and Gloria and Martin Greenstein for their generous support.
"*" indicates required fields
The mission of GWCJL (https://jewishlifect.org) is to establish a spiritual home and
extended Jewish family for members who reside in and around Litchfield County, Ct. As
a religious group, GWCJL strives to create a strong sense of connection and personal
belonging and to enrich our community with a variety of stimulating religious, spiritual,
cultural and social experiences through which Judaism can be explored and practiced
communally.