Holocaust survivor reunites with his father's cello 80 years old

A Holocaust survivor is about to be reunited with her late father's cello, a significant moment more than eighty years after the renowned Jewish composer was murdered by the Nazis. Pál Hermann, a distinguished Hungarian-born cellist and composer, was born in Budapest in 1902 to middle-class Jewish parents. Although his family rarely attended synagogue and encouraged him to pursue his career as a cellist, Hermann's Jewish heritage ultimately defined him.

Pál Hermann: A Talented Musician with a Tragic Fate

Pál Hermann made his breakthrough performing Kodály's Sonata for Solo Cello in Vienna at the invitation of the eminent composer Arnold Schoenberg. He later moved to Berlin in 1923 to pursue music, where he was hailed as an international star at the age of 21. Critics at the time referred to him as the "already world-famous Hungarian cello genius" and likened him to the famous cellist Pablo Casals.

Despite his success, Hermann and his family faced increasing danger as Adolf Hitler rose to power. In 1932, the family fled to the Netherlands, and while they managed to escape the initial threats, they eventually faced persecution and had to go into hiding. Pál Hermann changed his name to De Cotigny and evaded the Nazis by living inconspicuously in a farmhouse owned by the Graaff-Bachiene family near Toulouse, France.

Unfortunately, his efforts to remain undetected were in vain. Hermann was rounded up by a street razzia in Toulouse in February 1944. From there, he was held at Drancy internment camp before being herded into cattle trucks as part of Convoy 73 on May 15, 1944. The train was destined for the "Fort of Death" near Kaunas in Lithuania – a location infamous for the mass murder of Jews from around Europe. Sadly, no record has been found of Hermann's fate after this point.