A Legacy of Hope and Reconciliation
In May 1948, a 29-year-old Leonard Bernstein arrived in Munich, Germany, as part of a conducting tour of Europe. The city, still reeling from the aftermath of World War II, presented a stark landscape of destruction and despair. Bernstein, devastated by the sight, wrote to his mentor Serge Koussevitzky:
"Munich is a mess. Nazism everywhere, a sick economy, people working for a few cigarettes a day, Jews rotting in camps, miserable as get out, and the city in ruins."
Originally scheduled to conduct the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra, Bernstein faced unexpected challenges. The orchestra, whose Jewish members had been purged during the Nazi regime, went on strike due to poor working conditions. This delay, however, led to an extraordinary opportunity.
Inquiring about Jewish musicians among Holocaust survivors, Bernstein learned of an orchestra comprising ex-concentration camp prisoners in nearby displaced persons (DP) camps. Despite logistical hurdles, he insisted on arranging concerts with this group, known as The Represenzentanc Orkester fun der Szeerit Hapleitah (the orchestra representing the surviving remainder).
On May 10, 1948, Bernstein conducted two memorable concerts: a matinee at Feldafing DP camp and an evening performance at Landsberg DP camp. The program included works by Weber, Bizet, Puccini, Verdi, and Gershwin. The concert almost didn't happen, with arrangements made at the "eleventh hour" according to JDC archives. Despite the challenges, the events were a resounding success.
The orchestra comprised of Holocaust survivors and included notable musicians such as sisters Fania and Henia Durmashkin, whose brother Wolf died in Klooga. Conductor and violinist Michael Hofmekler, who was miraculously reunited with his brother after the war, and the violinist and survivor of seven camps David Arben, who became Associate Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, were also part of the orchestra. Bernstein, deeply moved by the experience, wrote to his secretary Helen Coates:
"I was received by parades of kids with flowers, and the greatest honours... I conducted...Freischütz of all things and cried my heart out."
These concerts marked a critical development point for Bernstein, both as a musician and as a human being. Despite advice from mentors to change his name to avoid anti-Semitism, Bernstein had made a conscious decision not to hide his Jewish heritage. He famously stated, "I'll do it as Bernstein or not at all."
The Landsberg concert reinforced this resolve and helped Bernstein overcome his own prejudices against Germany. In a letter to Helen Coates, he reflected on the obstacles he had to overcome: "youth, Americanism & Jewishness." The overwhelming positive response from both the survivors and the German audiences affirmed his belief in music's power to transcend boundaries.
This experience paved the way for Bernstein's subsequent career triumphs in Vienna, Salzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Berlin. It solidified his reputation as not just a talented conductor, but as a cultural ambassador capable of bridging divides through music.
The impact of Bernstein's 1948 DP camp concerts reverberates to this day. For the survivors who attended or performed, it was a transformative experience. Harry Bialor, a Polish survivor who attended the Feldafing concert, recalled how Bernstein's performance inspired him to study music more diligently.
The concerts also left an indelible mark on the families of survivors. Deb Filler, whose father attended the concert, created a short film titled "Mr. Bernstein" in 2016. The film explores how hearing Bernstein conduct the Displaced Persons Orchestra was an emotional turning point for her father, helping him realize there was hope for the future.
On May 10, 2018, exactly 70 years after Bernstein's original performance, a commemorative concert was held in Landsberg am Lech, Germany. This event featured the inaugural Wolf Durmashkin Composition Award, named after the brother of Fania and Henia Durmashkin, who had perished in the Holocaust. The anniversary concert included some of the same works performed at the historic 1948 event, this time played by a chamber orchestra comprising members of the Bavarian Philharmonic. It also featured a screening of Deb Filler's film, connecting past and present through the shared experience of music. In January 2024, scholar and historian Abraham Peck, who was born in the DP camp, organized a week-long program marking 75 years since Bernstein conducted in Landsberg.
Bernstein's 1948 concerts in the DP camps stand as a powerful symbol of hope, resilience, and the healing power of music. They remind us of the potential for art to bridge cultural divides and offer solace in the aftermath of unimaginable tragedy. As we continue to grapple with issues of prejudice and division in our world today, the legacy of these concerts serves as an inspiration and a call to action, echoing Bernstein's lifelong belief in music's ability to unite humanity.
Sources
Online article A Rhapsody for the Generations, JDC Archives. Accessed August 2024.
Bernstein, Michael Leonard Bernstein, Music and Reconciliation in Germany, 1948 and Today, May 25, 2018
Axelrod, Toby. Landmark exhibits shed light on life in German displaced person camps after the Holocaust. Jerusalem Post, 2023. Accessed August 2024.
