Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson
Encyclopedia
Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson (born Zhanna Arshansky in Ukraine
, ca. 1927) is a Russian-American pianist and former faculty member of the Jacobs School of Music
at Indiana University (Bloomington). Dawson came to national prominence in 2009 after her son, journalist Greg Dawson
published a book, Hiding in the Spotlight, chronicling her escape from the Holocaust.
. Her father bought her a German piano and enrolled her in piano lessons at age 5. At six years old she made her performance debut, playing Bach
's Two-Part Invention No. 1 on the radio. When Zhanna was eight her father's business failed and the family moved to the larger city of Kharkov. Both sisters received scholarships at a music conservatory, and were later offered scholarships at the Moscow State Conservatory.
and began to strategically and brutally kill Jews and non-Jewish Russian civilians. All the Jews in Kharkov who had not left, more than 16,000, were grouped together by the Nazis and sent on a long forced march to be killed and buried in the ravine Drobitsky Yar
near Kharkov. A mile from the ravine, her father bribed one of the guards by giving him a gold watch, so that he would allow Zhanna to escape. Zhanna hid among the crowd that had gathered to watch. She was later reunited with her sister Frina at the home of the Bogancha family in Kharkov (Frina has to date never revealed how she too escaped). The two concealed their Jewish identity by inventing a cover story on how their parents were killed, calling themselves Anna and Marina Morozova. They made their way to an orphanage in Kremenchug, Ukraine where a piano technician noticed their talent, and introduced them to a theater director who was in charge of entertaining the Nazis. Thereafter, the sisters performed piano for Germans throughout the war.
at the end of the war. There, an American camp administrator heard the girls perform in a variety act He got them aboard the first ship of Holocaust survivors after the war. The girls were sent to Crozet,Virginia to live with Larry Dawson's wife, Grace. Through connections he was able to obtain an audition before Ernest Hutcheson
, Rosalyn Tureck
, and Muriel Kerr of Juilliard School of Music, which offered them scholarships to attend. In 1947 Zhanna Arashansky and Larry Dawson's brother David, a violinist, were married. They moved to Bloomington, Indiana
in 1948, where she began to teach music at Indiana University and he played in the Berkshire String Quartet. David Dawson died in 1975.
Frina Dawson married Ken Boldt,who was also a pianist, and worked at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
, and asked his mother what it was like living during the time of the war. Dawson, who currently writes mostly consumer advocacy columns in the Orlando Sentinel
paper, wrote his first book, Hiding in the Spotlight: A Musical Prodigy's Story of Survival, 1941-1946, about his mother's story.
In 2006 Greg Dawson and his wife, Candy, traveled to Ukraine to see the site of the massacre. There they found the names of the entire Arshansky family, including Zhanna and Frina, etched on a memorial wall. It had been assumed that the two sisters had been killed along with the 16,000 other victims, because until then nobody was known to have survived.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, ca. 1927) is a Russian-American pianist and former faculty member of the Jacobs School of Music
Jacobs School of Music
The Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music...
at Indiana University (Bloomington). Dawson came to national prominence in 2009 after her son, journalist Greg Dawson
Greg Dawson
Greg Dawson is a consumer rights columnist for the Orlando Sentinel newspaper. His column answers questions trying to help companies and consumers resolve conflicts. His writing usually has a humorous and sarcastic tone while answering the consumers' questions...
published a book, Hiding in the Spotlight, chronicling her escape from the Holocaust.
Early life
Zhanna and Frina are daughters of Dmitri Arshansky, a Jewish candy maker and amateur violinist from Berdyansk, a town in southeastern UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Her father bought her a German piano and enrolled her in piano lessons at age 5. At six years old she made her performance debut, playing Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
's Two-Part Invention No. 1 on the radio. When Zhanna was eight her father's business failed and the family moved to the larger city of Kharkov. Both sisters received scholarships at a music conservatory, and were later offered scholarships at the Moscow State Conservatory.
Holocaust
In 1941,Dawson and her family were living in Kharkov,Ukraine, when the Germans invaded the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and began to strategically and brutally kill Jews and non-Jewish Russian civilians. All the Jews in Kharkov who had not left, more than 16,000, were grouped together by the Nazis and sent on a long forced march to be killed and buried in the ravine Drobitsky Yar
Drobitsky Yar
Drobytsky Yar is a ravine 8–12 km south east from Kharkiv, Ukraine. In December 1941, Nazi troops invading the Soviet Union began killing local inhabitants over the following year. At the end of this period, some 16,000 people, mainly Jews were killed. Notably on December 15, 1941, when the...
near Kharkov. A mile from the ravine, her father bribed one of the guards by giving him a gold watch, so that he would allow Zhanna to escape. Zhanna hid among the crowd that had gathered to watch. She was later reunited with her sister Frina at the home of the Bogancha family in Kharkov (Frina has to date never revealed how she too escaped). The two concealed their Jewish identity by inventing a cover story on how their parents were killed, calling themselves Anna and Marina Morozova. They made their way to an orphanage in Kremenchug, Ukraine where a piano technician noticed their talent, and introduced them to a theater director who was in charge of entertaining the Nazis. Thereafter, the sisters performed piano for Germans throughout the war.
After the war
The Arshanskaya sisters wound up in a United Nations refugee campRefugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
at the end of the war. There, an American camp administrator heard the girls perform in a variety act He got them aboard the first ship of Holocaust survivors after the war. The girls were sent to Crozet,Virginia to live with Larry Dawson's wife, Grace. Through connections he was able to obtain an audition before Ernest Hutcheson
Ernest Hutcheson
Ernest Hutcheson was an Australian pianist, composer and teacher.Hutcheson was born in Melbourne, and toured there as a child prodigy. He later travelled to Leipzig and entered the Leipzig Conservatorium at the age of fourteen to study with Carl Reinecke and Bernhard Stavenhagen, a pupil of Franz...
, Rosalyn Tureck
Rosalyn Tureck
Rosalyn Tureck was an American pianist and harpsichordist who was particularly associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach...
, and Muriel Kerr of Juilliard School of Music, which offered them scholarships to attend. In 1947 Zhanna Arashansky and Larry Dawson's brother David, a violinist, were married. They moved to Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
in 1948, where she began to teach music at Indiana University and he played in the Berkshire String Quartet. David Dawson died in 1975.
Frina Dawson married Ken Boldt,who was also a pianist, and worked at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Revealing her story
In 1978 Dawson's son, Greg, was writing a column about Holocaust, a television miniseriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, and asked his mother what it was like living during the time of the war. Dawson, who currently writes mostly consumer advocacy columns in the Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
paper, wrote his first book, Hiding in the Spotlight: A Musical Prodigy's Story of Survival, 1941-1946, about his mother's story.
In 2006 Greg Dawson and his wife, Candy, traveled to Ukraine to see the site of the massacre. There they found the names of the entire Arshansky family, including Zhanna and Frina, etched on a memorial wall. It had been assumed that the two sisters had been killed along with the 16,000 other victims, because until then nobody was known to have survived.
External links
- hidinginthespotlight.com - official Hiding in the Spotlight book website