In pre-World War II German society, Jews took full part in the creative life of the culture. Although there were restrictions on Jews as a group (for example, membership in certain organizations was regularly forbidden to Jews), individuals were free to pursue their creative, educational and professional endeavors, resulting in a highly assimilated German Jewish population. The result of this assimilation was to produce artists who were proud of both their Jewish identities as well as their nationalities. During World War I, Jews initially fought gladly for their country, happy for the opportunity to demonstrate their patriotism. At the same time, Jewish cultural societies, student groups, and synagogues flourished, signifying a strong sense of Jewish identity within the dominant German culture. The rise of Nazism, however, made clear that Europe’s history of anti-Semitism was a far less distant memory than it had seemed to assimilated German Jews.

The composers on this program represent Jews from across the spectrum of observance, but because of the Nazi program of systematic persecution of all Jews (in Germany as well as the countries they invaded), these individuals were turned into a monolithic, generic and stereotyped mass. It was no longer possible for them to be both German and Jewish, and in this way the Nazis silenced some of the most gifted voices in their artistic world. Their stories are unique as are their compositions, and some have gone largely unheard due to the success of the Nazi suppression of their art. For example, Robert Kahn wrote over 200 songs, but since he was no longer allowed to publish his music after 1933, these songs as well as his other compositions languish in obscurity, most not even available in the U.S. In this program I seek to tell the stories of these individuals, and let their unique voices be heard.

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