Today I heard part of the story of Shony Alex Brau. It was a story of incredible faith and relying on God. In short, he was a gifted violin player who was sent to concentration camps as a boy during the Nazi regime. At one point, he had to prove his musical capability or be killed. He couldn’t remember any songs under the pressure and prayed to God for help. At once he started playing a song that he wasn’t even very familiar with. But the commandant was pleased and spared his life. After his liberation, he went on to compose the “Symphony of the Holocaust”. The book “My Heart is a Violin” was written about his life. Here is the overview:

This book traces the unique and remarkable life of Shony Alex Braun. As a boy of four, he becomes lost in the Transylvanian forest and encounters a group of gypsies who enchant him with their musical instruments. This launches his love and fascination for the violin. He eagerly learns to play the violin, and by age eleven he makes his debut on Radio Bucharest. His dreams of further study are cut short by Nazi oppression and the deportation of him at thirteen and his family to Auschwitz. The violin miraculously saves his life in the death camp of Dachau and then after liberation, the violin brings him back from the brink of death as he recovers from a gunshot wound, blood poisoning, tuberculosis and malnutrition. He meets a charming girl in the recovery hospital and begins a new life with her as his wife in the United States. Shony goes on to become a prolific composer, Hollywood performer, concert soloist and Pulitzer Prize nominee. His faith in God and his courage to survive will inspire you. Shony’s loving concern for others will help you realize there is good in the world.

I Found God today in an incredible story of faith and perseverance.