Yehudi Menuhin, world-renowned violinist, said in a prepared statement during the intermission of his concert here last night, that “irrespective of creed” he shared with Germans the music of Bach and other German masters.
The statement was designed to explain why Mr. Menuhin, who is Jewish, was giving his tenth concert in this country since the end of World War II. The statement pointed out that Mr. Menuhin first came to Germany at the end of the war to play for concentration camp survivors and then continued to return to play for all.
The violinist also read the text of a letter he had received from a former Hitler Youth leader who said that he had changed his mind about Nazi anti-Semitic race theories after hearing Mr. Menhuin perform on the radio.
Mr. Menuhin told his audience: “Should I be invited to Germany, as indeed I already have been, by your own people, I could only accept in the assurance that every member of my race is as welcome among you as I am. This, you must understand, is essential for my return, for should there be a recrudescence of Nazism–and indeed of late there have been signs–and should you, the students and younger generation, make no attempt to fight it within your own scope, then indeed my way is barred in Germany.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
