With the inclusion of the ShUM Sites in Speyer, Worms, and Mainz on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021, an extraordinary chapter in German and European history was officially recognized: 1,000 years of Jewish heritage along the Rhine, shaped by scholarship, religious life, cultural exchange, and a social impact that extended far beyond the region. Five years later, the ShUM Association, together with the ShUM cities, numerous partners, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and the citizens, is celebrating this special anniversary with a year-long series of diverse festivities. The celebrations will kick off with the World Heritage Anniversary on July 26, 2026, at the Jewry Court in Speyer.
A special highlight of the day will be the musical and literary performance of the “Ring Parable” from "Nathan the Wise" by the duo Herschel & Lömsch. There will also be exciting activities for children and families, including the workshop “Reading and Writing with Jakub.”
“We look forward to celebrating the international appeal of Jewish life in a fitting manner with the World Heritage anniversary, together with interested visitors from the local area and the region, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and our partners.” (Birgit Kita)
The events marking the fifth anniversary of the ShUM sites are sponsored by the Angelika and Uwe Wöhlert Foundation, BASF SE, the Diocese of Mainz, Rheinhessen Sparkasse, and Sparkasse der Vorderpfalz.
News
Here you can find the most important news about our UNESCO World Heritage Sites. All dates and further informations can be found on our German-language website.
The First SchUM Visitor Center for the Serial World Heritage Site
Sali-Levi House in Mainz Officially Opened
On 6 September, together with the City of Mainz and numerous guests from the worlds of politics, civil society and culture, we celebrated the opening of the first ShUM Visitor Centre for our serial World Heritage Site. The exhibition at
On 6 September, together with the City of Mainz and numerous guests from the worlds of politics, civil society and culture, we celebrated the opening of the first ShUM Visitor Centre for our serial World Heritage Site. The exhibition at the "Sali-Levi-Haus" allows visitors to learn about the rich Jewish history of the ShUM communities and the ShUM Sites in Speyer, Worms, and Mainz. The visitor centre also offers fascinating views of the Judensand and allows visitors to explore the Old Jewish Cemetery Judensand independently.
'With the opening of the "Sali-Levi-Haus" today, we have created a place where nearly 1,000 years of Jewish history along the Rhine come to life. It is a place of education, encounter and exchange that will promote understanding, tolerance and mutual respect across all boundaries, and we are very pleased about that' (Birgit Kita).
The Sali-Levi-Haus is open Tuesday to Sunday:
April–September: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
October–March: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Individual visits to the Judensand are also possible on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays:
April–September: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
October–March: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Online Training for Tour Guides from the ShUM Cities in Autumn 2026
The ShUM Sites tell the story of medieval history and Jewish heritage, representing 1,000 years of vibrant Jewish life and connecting the past, present and future. In today's world, understanding different cultures and religions is crucial for fostering encounter, dialogue,
The ShUM Sites tell the story of medieval history and Jewish heritage, representing 1,000 years of vibrant Jewish life and connecting the past, present and future. In today's world, understanding different cultures and religions is crucial for fostering encounter, dialogue, and open coexistence.
To further this understanding, the RegioAkademie Pfalz is offering an online seminar this autumn in cooperation with the ShUM-Cities Association as part of a joint continuing education series for tour guides from the ShUM cities.
Spread over four evenings, Gabriela Schlick-Bamberger, director of Jeschurun, the religious school of the Jewish Community of Frankfurt am Main, will share her insights into Jewish religion, culture, and traditions. The seminar will also explore the significance of Jewish ritual baths, cemeteries, and synagogues in religious practice.
The seminar will take place on 22 and 29 October and 5 and 12 November 2026, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. each evening. The cost is €52 (with a minimum of 10 participants) and places are limited to 20 participants.The registration deadline is 2 October 2026.
The seminar can only be booked as a complete package for all four sessions.
For more information and to register, visit www.regioakademie.de.
More highlights in September 2026
ShUM's 5y Anniversary Has Got Off to a Successful Start
In 2021, the ShUM sites in Speyer, Worms, and Mainz were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, officially recognising an extraordinary chapter in German and European history: One thousand years of Jewish heritage along the Rhine, shaped by scholarship,
In 2021, the ShUM sites in Speyer, Worms, and Mainz were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, officially recognising an extraordinary chapter in German and European history: One thousand years of Jewish heritage along the Rhine, shaped by scholarship, religious life, cultural exchange and a social impact that extended far beyond the region. Five years later, the ShUM-Cities Association, together with the ShUM cities, numerous partners, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and local residents, celebrated this special anniversary with a year-long series of diverse festivities. The festivities began with the World Heritage Anniversary on 26 July 2026 at the Jewry Court in Speyer.
From 4 September, an exhibition at the SchUM-Lab in Worms will showcase the ShUM-Cities Association's and the ShUM cities' projects from the past five years, demonstrating how the UNESCO World Heritage Site has evolved since its designation. On 6 September, a special milestone will be reached with the grand opening of the first visitor centre for the ShUM Sites. Located above the 'Old Jewish Cemetery Judensand' in Mainz, the 'Sali-Levi-Haus' will serve as a new gathering place. In future, the visitor centre will provide information about Mainz's rich Jewish history, offer fascinating views of the Judensand and enable visitors to explore the World Heritage Site in Mainz independently.
Jewish Holidays 2026
Here are the Jewish holidays for 2026:
May 21–23: Shavuot
September 11–13: Rosh Hashanah
September 20–21: Yom Kippur
September 25–October 2: Sukkot
October 2–4: Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
December 4–12: Hanukkah
Jewish
Here are the Jewish holidays for 2026:
May 21–23: Shavuot
September 11–13: Rosh Hashanah
September 20–21: Yom Kippur
September 25–October 2: Sukkot
October 2–4: Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
December 4–12: Hanukkah
Jewish holidays begin the evening before and end shortly after nightfall the next day. On biblical holidays and Shabbat, work is prohibited, meaning no work may be performed and no fire may be lit. One may not cook, make phone calls, watch television, etc.
The Old Jewish Cemetery "Heiliger Sand" and the Old Jewish Cemetery "am Judensand" are closed on these holidays.
Our Website is Currently Being Updated
In order to provide an improved user experience, updated content and new features, our website is currently being redesigned.
As a result, some areas and functions may be temporarily unavailable or inaccessible. But don’t worry – we'll be back
In order to provide an improved user experience, updated content and new features, our website is currently being redesigned.
As a result, some areas and functions may be temporarily unavailable or inaccessible. But don’t worry – we'll be back soon!
You can still find valuable informations about the ShUM-Sites in Speyer, Worms and Mainz, as well as helpful details for planning your visit, on our website.
Stay tuned – we'll keep you updated, and we look forward to presenting our new website to you soon.
Thank you for your understanding!
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Follow us on our social media channels @welterbe.schum for daily news, save the date announcements or exciting insights into our work. You have questions? No problem - send us a message on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to get
Follow us on our social media channels @welterbe.schum for daily news, save the date announcements or exciting insights into our work. You have questions? No problem - send us a message on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to get in touch with you!
The ShUM-Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz are UNESCO World Heritage Sites!
Since July 27, 2021, the ShUM-Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz are UNESCO World Heritage Sites!
The ShUM-Sites include unique, exemplary community centers, monuments and cemeteries. The are outstanding, outstandingly early and in singular density and completeness preserved testimonies of a living Jewish tradition in this region and beyond. The ShUM-Sites bear witness of the network of the ShUM communities in the Middle Ages. In these sites, the power of architectural innovation and outstanding scholarship can be seen. Here, intersections and also exchanges with the non-Jewish surrounding culture emerged. The brightest and darkest times of Jewish history are reflected here. Here stood the cradle of Ashkenazi Judaism and here the centuries-old roots reach into a Jewish present and future. UNESCO Website ShUM
Kehillot ShUM: UNESCO World Heritage!
In the Middle Ages, the Jewish communities of the cities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz formed an association that shaped the architecture, culture, religion and jurisprudence of the Central and Eastern European Jewish diaspora. Synagogues, women’s shuln, teaching houses and ritual baths in Speyer and Worms as well as the old Jewish cemeteries in Worms and Mainz tell of the immense importance of the ShUM communities. ShUM has a special sound in the Jewish world to this day.
The ShUM sites attract interested people from many countries. ShUM is a magnetic field. ShUM is architecture, religion, scholarship. ShUM is 1000 years of Jewish history!
Watch the Google Arts and Culture virtual exhibition! Click here
Dannie Klompsma
»I do not have to explain it to you, but in Ashkenazi Jewish history the Rheinland is the cradle of European Jewry. To be around in the ShUM cities is connecting to the earliest traditions of the pioneer Jews who entered Europe through Rome and Italy. It connects us physically to the Chasidei and Chachmei Ashkenaz, who shaped (world) Judaism so prominently.«
»The ShUM-Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz are visible, exceptional Jewish heritage - and since the end of July 2021 also UNESCO World Heritage! To have achieved this goal after many years of intensive research, coordination and creative processes fills everyone involved with great joy. We would like to make the Jewish ShUM World Heritage Site even better known and show at these sites how diverse, innovative and formative the Jewish ShUM communities were. We hope that the three cities and all the guests who stand in amazement in front of and in the synagogues and ritual baths and visit the 'Eternal Places', the Jewish cemeteries, will carry our message further. For appropriate and careful treatment of the ShUM-Sites and for the responsibility we all bear for the Jewish past, present and future.«
»For Jewish life in Germany and Europe, the ShUM cities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz are of decisive importance. They are the origin of a long and significant history, from the Middle Ages to the present. The traditions rooted in the ShUM communities are still valid today and have an influence on Jewish life worldwide.
Outstanding personalities, such as Rashi and Rabbi Gershom, have had a decisive influence on Ashkenazi Judaism from today's Rhineland-Palatinate.
With the recognition of the ShUM cities as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it is possible to preserve the past of this globally unique heritage, bring it into the present and learn from it for the future.«
»As a woman from Worms, I grew up not only in the shadow of the thousand-year-old cathedral, but also in the immediate vicinity of the equally old Jewish cemetery 'Holy Sand'. Its crooked ancient gravestones - some topped with small stones - were familiar to me as a child and filled me with awe and pride, especially when I heard that this is the oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in Europe. Together with Mainz and Speyer, Worms formed the center of Jewish life in ancient times, when there was a thriving Jewish culture along the Rhine.
While today everyone knows the significance of the Romanesque cathedrals of Speyer, Worms and Mainz, not many know how much these three cities were also shaped by their Jewish inhabitants. Apart from the cemeteries, synagogues and ritual baths, women's shuln and Rashi's teaching house also bear witness to this. It was high time that ShUM became known as the cradle of Ashkenazi Judaism on the Rhine and was recognized as a World Heritage Site.«
Rabbi Dr. Elisa KlapheckRafael HerlichRabbinerin Prof. Dr. Elisa KlapheckFrankfurt am Main
»You can still feel the rabbinic genius loci in the ShUM Sites. A trip there always gives me inspiration.«
»The 'World Heritage' recognition makes it clear how unique the value of a cultural site is. The ShUM-Sites are not only significant today: many centuries ago, they already formed a network that was - and still is - formative for the architecture, culture, religion and jurisdiction of Judaism in Central and Eastern Europe. With the preservation of the ShUM-Sites, it becomes clear that Jewish life has always had its place in our region. This memory is the true heritage that the remaining historical testimonies show us today and in the future. We are therefore particularly pleased about the recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.«
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