In 1929 and 1931 he tours the British Mandate for Palestine. He is thrilled by the spontaneous reactions he receives from the audience and by listeners from all walks of life. He is irritated by the fact that not everyone can afford his concert and sets up additional, less expensive performances dedicated for the working class audience. The visit in Palestine transforms his worldview. He no longer criticises Zionistic ideas.
To protest against increasing antisemitism in Europe, in 1932 he moves to Switzerland and will never perform in Germany again. He publishes a letter titled To German Intellectualists in The Manchester Guardian newspaper. He plans to organise a Jewish orchestra in Palestine.
To do that, he travels around Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland in search of Jewish musicians. Because of the Nuremberg Laws, hundreds of artists wander around in search of a new job. Any Jewish musician can apply for the orchestra. In the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, 40% of artists are of Jewish descent.
The auditions drain him emotionally. He can choose only the best musicians but, at the same time, he is aware of what can happen to the ones who will not qualify for his band. He decides to do a ‘blind audition’. He does not want any non-musical qualities of the applicants to influence his decision. For the musicians, this is two times more stressful: performing in front of one of the biggest stars but also fighting for your life.
Organising the Palestine Symphony Orchestra is a great challenge. Huberman must apply for visas for his musicians, collect money to transport the artists and cover their pay cheques. Thus, he organises concerts in the United States. During one of such concerts, someone steals his Stradivarius from the changing room.
On 26th December 1936, a concert is held in which the newly-created orchestra is led by Arturo Toscanini, one of the first Italian artists to oppose Nazi politics. The conductor calls off his performances in the Third Reich. Hitler is personally affected by this decision: he admires Toscanini’s interpretations of Wagner’s operas from the Bayreuth festival. The concert in Cairo is transmitted to London and from there to the rest of the world.
During World War II, Huberman is involved in activities in aid of Polish refugees. He saves the lives of around 1,000 Jewish musicians and their families. In May 1944, in New York, he takes part in a Polish music concert during which he performs Karol Szymanowski’s First Violin Concerto under the direction of Grzegorz Fitelberg. In 1946, he goes on tour in Europe, Egypt and Palestine. He spends his final years in his villa in Corsier-sur-Vevey.
Translated by Patryk Grabowski