JHV 6 The Moshe Weinstein Violin
By Johann Gottleb Ficker; c. 1803.
Moshe and Golda Weinstein
This violin was a life-long friend of Moshe Weinstein, the father of Amnon Weinstein, and the first of three generations of violin makers. Born in a shtetl in Eastern Europe, little Moshe fell in love with the sound of the violin. This was a turning point in the Weinstein’s family history. Moshe learnt to play by himself and later studied at the music academy in Vilna, Lithuania, where he met Golda, a pianist, and both immigrated to Palestine in 1938.
Before leaving Europe, Moshe Weinstein went to Warsaw to study with Yaacov Zimmerman to repair string instruments. Since many Jews play violins, thought Moshe, they will need a violin maker in the new land. Loyal to the tradition of helping young prodigies taking their first steps in music, he supported many talented Israeli children, such as Shlomo Mintz, Pinchas Zukerman, Yitzhak Perlman and many others.