The Ger Mandolin Orchestra (GMO)

The Ger Mandolin Orchestra (GMO)

The Ger Mandolin Orchestra (GMO) is a memorial project of recreating the Jewish Mandolin Orchestra that was active in Gora Kalwaria,( Ger in yiddish) Poland between 1920 to 1930. Most of its members died in the Holocaust.
Avner Yonai, the founder of the orchestra is the grandson of one of the players in the historic Ger orchestra.
The orchestra had its first concert on March 6, 2011 in Berekey , California as part of the 26th Jewish music festival.
Six months later, the orchestra flew to Poland to play in Ger , in the historic House of prayer ( Beit midrash) of the Rabbi.
the orchestra performed also in the Nozyk synagogue and in the concert finale of the Singer Festival by Shalom Foundation.
The orchestra performed in Toronto in November 2013 as part of Holocaust Educational Week.
Also in November 2013 , the orchestra was invited to play in the inauguration ceremony of the Holocaust studies at the History faculty at Claremont university.