Walter Hautzig passed away January 30, 2017 at the age of 95.  Walter began his piano studies at the Vienna Academy of Music but the academy was closed when the Nazis occupied Austria. 
At 17 years old, Walter auditioned for a fellowship with the Jerusalem Conservatory and won not only the fellowship but a highly prized exit visa from Austria.  After a year and a half in Jerusalem, he arrived in New York where his parents and sister were living after having recently fled Austria through Switzerland.  He then studied and graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. 
Walter’s New York performance debut in 1943 won him the Town Hall Award for the most outstanding performance of the year by an artist under 30.  He was renowned in the 1940s for refusing to perform for a racially segregated audience in Alabama.
Walter met his wife, Esther, while performing in Europe to raise money for victims of the Nazis.  Esther was on her way to New York following exile in Siberia during the war. They were married in 1950.  Esther was an accom-plished writer whose most famous book is considered a classic of children’s literature. Entitled The Endless Steppe, Esther’s book told the story of her family’s forced exile under the control of the Soviets during World War II as a result of having been accused of being Jewish capitalists. Esther predeceased Walter, passing away in 2009.
Walter taught as a professor of piano at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore from 1960 to 1988. During that time he continued to perform internationally, often as a soloist with renowned orchestras.  In 1979, he was selected by the State Department to be the first United States artist to perform in China. The US Ambassador at the time noted that Walter “moved our relations forward by twenty years.” Walter continued to perform publicly until just a few years ago. 
While Walter and Esther lived in New York City, their second home was in Spencertown, Columbia County, NY, and they were long-time members of the Nassau Synagogue.  Walter supported the synagogue not only as a member but by performing benefit concerts on four occasions, the first in 1999. In 2003, he performed a benefit concert in honor of his dear friend and fellow member, Dr. Max Panitch.  Walter’s last benefit concert for the shul took place at the Spencertown Academy on June 19, 2011. He was 90 year old. 
Walter and Esther’s granddaughter Molly DeVries pro-duced a beautifully-crafted and illustrated video of Walter’s life. Please make time to view it, by searching Youtube.com using both of their names. It’s a MUST SEE! 
May Walter Hautzig’s memory be a blessing. May the Source of Comfort comfort all those who grieve for him among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. 

The Nassau Synagogue tradition is that one need not be a member to attend Shabbat services or to participate in our events and programs.  We do not sell seats for the High Holidays, nor do we auction aliyot. How have we been able to do this over the years and still keep membership dues so very low?  It is through your continued support that is essential to keeping us strong.  The Nassau Synagogue relies almost exclusively on the contributions of its supporters and on our membership dues.  So please, help us with a donation, and/or consider becoming a member. 
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