Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and in 1974-93 was also first violinist in the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart. In his memoir, Wieck muses on human nature and speculates on ultimate causes and the nature of the deity. Although he retained a strong emotional attachment to Judaism, he ultimately espoused a kind of deism, alluding to "a definite feeling of something 'lying behind it all' that always resists being put into words." Regarding human nature and humankind’s potential for good and evil, he said: Awards In 2005, Wieck was awarded the Otto Hirsch Medaille – an annual honor given to persons who have served the cause of German-Jewish reconciliation. The award is named after Otto Hirsch (1885-1941), a German-Jewish lawyer and politician from Stuttgart who was imprisoned by the Nazis and ultimately tortured to death at Mauthausen Concentration Camp in German-annexed Austria. On 17 November 2016 Wieck was awarded Germany's Order of Merit. In presenting the award on behalf of German President Joachim Gauck, Stuttgart Mayor Fritz Kuhn said that, in his life and work, "Wieck combines cultural, social, political and musical commitment. His commitment to an open, tolerant and equitable society is impressive." Bibliography Michael Wieck: Zeugnis vom Untergang Königsbergs: Ein "Geltungsjude" berichtet, Heidelberger Verlaganstalt, 1990, 1993, . Michael Wieck: A Childhood Under Hitler and Stalin: Memoirs of a "Certified Jew," University of Wisconsin Press, 2003, . References Further reading Obituary of Michael Wieck Jews in East Prussia, 2021 1928 births 2021 deaths 20th-century German Jews German violinists German male violinists Musicians from Königsberg People from East Prussia German male writers Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 21st-century violinists 21st-century German male musicians Musicians from Stuttgart Writers from Königsberg