Holocaust Blog #2

Night, pages 93-95

Music-Violinist playing for children in Westerbork

The photo of a violinist in the transit camp of Westerbork reminded me of the scene in Night where Juliek plays his violin on last time to an audience of dead men. Juliek was a violinist that Eli met at the Buna camp, and saw him again and for the last time upon his arrival at Gleiwitz. I haven’t been able to forget this passage in Night, because it is so hauntingly sad, yet it also shows a little bit of hope and rebellion in it. People were laying dying and dead in the snow when Juliek manages to find his way out from under the bodies to play his violin. Eli falls asleep while he is playing and wakes up to see Juliek’s body with his trampled violin next to him. Many camps had prisoner orchestras such as the one Eli met in Buna, and photos in the music section of our presentations showed this as well. This man in the photograph was probably playing so the children could be happy for a few minutes, and forget their troubles. Juliek was doing this too when he played for the last time. He was also playing for himself though, playing a forbidden Beethoven piece since he knew he was going to die anyways.  “The darkness enveloped us. All I could hear was the violin, and it was as if Juliek’s soul had become his bow. He was playing his life. His whole being glided over the strings. His unfulfilled hopes. His charred past, his extinguished future. He played that which he would never play again.” (Wiesel, 95) Music can give hope to people, and make them forget their troubles. Even though the SS officers allowed the prisoners to have orchestras and bands, it still feels like a little rebellion. Some common themes between Juliek's last song and the man playing the violin is the hope that they install in others, and the beauty that their music was.