Hellmut Stern, who fled Germany with his family to escape the Nazis, then returned years later to join the Berlin Philharmonic as a violinist, died March 21 at his home in Berlin. He was 91.

Mr. Stern was a member of one of the world’s most illustrious orchestras for more than three decades. For most of that time, the Philharmonic was led by the strong-willed conductor Herbert von Karajan, one of the towering maestros of the 20th century. For Mr. Stern, the relationship was particularly fraught, because Mr. Karajan had been a member of the Nazi Party.

From his earliest days with the Philharmonic, Mr. Stern dreamed of arranging a concert tour of Israel. While Israel said it would welcome the musicians, it refused to accept Mr. Karajan. After Mr. Karajan died in 1989, Mr. Stern was finally able to negotiate the tour.

In April 1990, the orchestra under the direction of Daniel Barenboim, gave seven concerts in different Israeli cities. The high point came in Tel Aviv, where the Berlin ensemble joined with the Israeli Philharmonic in playing Saint-Saëns, Weber, Ravel and Beethoven under the baton of Zubin Mehta. The Israelis were moved to tears when the 120 Berlin musicians stood and played Israel’s national anthem.

“By returning to Germany after the persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust and becoming a member of our orchestra, he set a unique example of reconciliation and forgiveness,”  said Alexander Bader, a clarinetist and chair of the Berlin Philharmonic’s orchestra board.