Letters from Lightstone: Music is Saved

Marilyn sends a letter to her friend Maestro Kerry Stratton, host ofConductor’s Choiceon the new Classical 96.3fm and another note to Sunny Holtzman (lucky).

Part 14:

Dear Kerry,

I’m sending these images not because they have any intrinsic value, either as photography or video, but because of the history of the locale.

Did you happen to see the documentary about Huberman, an early 20th century violin sensation in Germany? A fascinating story!

Though he toured the world, he was based in Berlin during the rise of the Nazi era and sensed the need for Jews to leave the country before it was too late. So great was his fame and influence, that one by one, he managed to get exit visas from the Nazi authorities for the Jewish musicians from The Berlin Philharmonic to leave Germany and to go to Israel. Needless to say, this was not an easy task. The visas came slowly, and Huberman knew that the virulent antisemitism of the Nazi regime was growing with every day. Some of the musicians were reluctant to leave. After all, were they not acclaimed for their art? Were they not proud Germans?

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Part 15:

Dear Sunny,

How lucky I am to have such a dear, old friend here in Tel Aviv! I loved that my room at The Royal Beach Hotel overlooks both the city and the Mediterranean, and actually has a small terrace where we sat for hours, catching up on so much that has happened since you last visited Canada.

And the Arab restaurant you took me to in Jaffa? The best falafel I’ve ever had, and the Israeli beer was fine!

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Marilyn Lightstone is the host of the nightly radio seriesNocturneon the New Classical 96.3 (a ZoomerMedia property).