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He's Called the "Oskar Schindler of the Music World," Who Rescued Hundreds of Jews from the Nazis; Revealed in New Documentary

Aimee Herd : Apr 23, 2014
Gary Lane – CBN News

"For a man to stand up against intolerance and to sacrifice so much of himself and to change himself in doing it. He saw something happening in the world that demanded a response. And so many people today—and I hope this is the lesson of the film—so many people are so quick to look the other way." –Josh Aronson

HubermanMost people—thanks to Spielberg's "Schindler's List"—have heard of Oskar Schindler. But the name of Branislav Huberman is relatively unknown, outside of Israel. (Photo via CBN News)

The fact is, Huberman saved as many endangered Jewish lives as Schindler—but he did it through music.

CBN News highlights a new documentary by Academy Award-nominated director Josh Aronson, called, "Orchestra of Exiles."

The documentary details how Branislav Huberman, a great Polish violinist, somehow sensed the coming Holocaust, even before there were any death camps.

HubermanHe founded the Palestine Symphony, and by incorporating Jewish musicians into it, he was able to rescue hundreds of Jews from the Nazis.
"He was a hero. He was a heroic character," said Director, Josh Aronson. "He was a great, great violinist, he was a great artist and was a great man." (Photo via CBN News)

"It was before concentration camps," he continued. "It was before we knew what was coming in Germany. He talked to people about how dangerous it was going to get and it was eerie that he had that sense ...that Jews had to get out."

Historian, Gad Lewertoff, noted, "He knew, any Jew he gets out of Europe, he's probably saved his life or at least spared him a lot of misery and a lot of suffering."

HubermanLater on, Huberman began a music school, insisting that all symphony musicians instruct others "so a new generation of musicians could be built." (Photo via CBN News)

Having died in 1947, just before Israel became a state, Huberman never saw his orchestra be renamed as The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and never heard them perform the Israeli National Anthem.

But now, Aronson is hoping his documentary will inform others of the "Oskar Schindler of the music world," and to remind people of the importance of standing against the darkness.

"For a man to stand up against intolerance and to sacrifice so much of himself and to change himself in doing it," says Aronson. "He saw something happening in the world that demanded a response. And so many people today—and I hope this is the lesson of the film—so many people are so quick to look the other way."