News release details

A violin that belonged to a Holocaust victim and was saved through a courageous act of friendship and remembrance will continue to share its story on display at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR).

Fanny Hecht was a Jewish violinist who was murdered along with her entire family by the Nazis during the Holocaust. In 1943, knowing the threat she was facing, Hecht asked her friend, neighbour and fellow violinist Helena Visser to save her violin if she was taken. Visser did just that, sneaking into the Hechts’ apartment in Amsterdam after they were arrested by the Nazis and rescuing the violin.

In the years since, Visser’s descendants moved to Canada. For years, they searched for relatives of Fanny who survived the Holocaust. Unable to locate any, they travelled to Israel to donate the instrument to Violins for Hope. The organization restores violins and other instruments that belonged to Jewish people so they can be played again. Many of these violins’ owners were murdered in the Holocaust. Despite this, each violin is a symbol of hope: a reminder of those who were taken, and of the responsibility to fight antisemitism and all forms of hate.

"Through this violin, we can remember Fanny Hecht, her family, and terrible crimes that took them from the world. And we can learn about the courage that it took to save the violin, and the bonds of friendship and humanity that kept it safe for so many years,’" said CMHR CEO Isha Khan. "Its story is a reminder that we cannot take for granted our rights and freedoms, and that we all have a role to play in defending dignity for all." 

The Hecht violin will be featured at a December 3 performance by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and will then be installed in the CMHR’s Examining the Holocaust gallery for public viewing from December 13 to March 13, 2023. It is on loan to the CMHR from Violins of Hope.