Joshua Bell Plays to Support of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews

22 October 2009

Joshua Bell

Acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell  performed with the Orchestra of the Polish National Opera at the Warsaw National Theatre (Teatr Wielki) on October 21, 2009 to benefit the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.  The American virtuoso played the legendary Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius violin that once belonged to Bronisław Huberman, a Polish Jew recognized as one of the most outstanding violinists of the 20th century.  The Museum of the History of Polish Jews – now under construction in the heart of what was Warsaw’s Jewish Quarter – is scheduled to open in 2012 as a modern educational and cultural institution.

This multimedia narrative museum and cultural center will present the history of Polish Jews and the rich civilization they created over the course of almost 1000 years.  Considering that nearly two-thirds of Jewish Americans can trace their ancestry to Poland, the Museum will present a history that is personally important to many Americans and that highlights the deep and enduring connections between the people of Poland and the United States.

The concert was produced by Sigmund A. Rolat, the chairman of the North American Council of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, who was born in Częstochowa and now lives in the United States.  Mr. Rolat is a philanthropist, a distinguished benefactor of the Museum, and an accomplished promoter of Polish-Jewish Dialogue. He was awarded the Commander’s Cross Order of Merit for Polish Republic by the President of the Polish Republic in April 2008. Joshua Bell also performed in Częstochowa at the Seventh Bronisław Huberman Violin Festival on October 20, 2009.