Click here to read the letter of recommendation from Rabbi Efrem Goldberg of Boca Raton Synagogue

This is the story of Bram Rodrigues and the very special violin that made it back to his family 76 years after it left his hands. My name is David Groen. In March of 2019 I received a message on Facebook from a man whose father was friends with my mother’s younger brother Bram who was killed in Auschwitz in September of 1943.

The man’s father and my uncle were close friends before the war, living around the corner from each and forming a band together. My uncle played the violin and the man’s father played guitar.

Before my uncle tried to flee Amsterdam with my grandfather, only to be picked up in Belgium and taken to his death, he asked his friend to look after his violin. The man did so till the day he died, protecting it as though it was a sacred artifact. Upon his passing away the man would leave the house and everything in it to his only son. His son thought that my uncle had no living relatives till he found me online through the book I wrote about my parents experiences under Nazi occupation, “Jew Face: A story of love and heroism in Nazi occupied Holland”, and through my website, Holland’s Heroes hollandsheroes.com . The man contacted me and said that he wanted to return the violin to its rightful heirs, which he did in an event on July 21, 2019, in Amsterdam.

Upon returning it to the United States we had the violin restored to playing condition and it subsequently is once again a beautiful instrument providing beauty with its sound, and hope and inspiration through its history.

The presentation tells a background story of my family leading up to the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, the story of my Uncle Bram’s early life, the tragedies he went through at an early age that made his violin and his friends so important to him, and how his best friend’s son would find me so many years later to return the violin to his family. A musical performance of the violin is available upon request with musical interludes during my presentation, the amount to be determined by how long you wish the presentation to last. A Question & Answer session is more than welcome after the presentation and is recommended, as this story generally stimulates a great deal of emotion and curiosity.

Reach us via email at info@bramsviolin.com

or by calling Natan at 609-703-1020