Rachel’s Mandolin is a powerful mandolin and guitar program that tells an extraordinary true story of survival, resilience, and the life-sustaining power of music.

The program centers on the life of Rachela Zelmanowicz-Olewski, a young Jewish mandolinist from Poland who survived Auschwitz by performing in the Auschwitz Women’s Orchestra under the direction of Alma Rosé. Through works for mandolin and guitar, the concert traces her journey from pre-war Europe through Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, to liberation and a new life in Israel, where she raised a family and lived until 1987.

Rachel’s Mandolin sheds light on a rarely told chapter of Holocaust history—the role of the mandolin—and stands as a tribute to courage, memory, and the enduring human spirit.