The Jewish heritage of Speyer, Worms and Mainz

When Jews settled in Speyer in the 11th century, they built the Judenhof (Jewish courtyard), an ensemble of synagogue, women's synagogue and ritual bath. The ruins of the synagogue (left) and the adjoining women's synagogue (right) can still be seen today. Jewish religious services used to be held here. Women were able to follow the events via listening gaps in the partition wall.

The remains of the synagogue are described as the oldest standing Jewish cult building from the Middle Ages. Visitors can access the Judenhof via the small Schpira Museum with its archaeological exhibits. Schpira is the Hebrew name for Speyer. Worms was called Warmaisa (W is pronounced like U) and Mainz Magenza. These three cities were therefore shortened and called ShUM Cities.

Next to the synagogue ruins there is a mikveh. The Jewish ritual bath from the 12th century is the oldest facility of its kind in central Europe. Climbing down, a Romanesque portal leads to an anteroom with a stone bench, which may have served as a changing room. A further staircase leads to the water basin, 10 meters (32.8 ft) underground.

The synagogue in Worms is almost 1,000 years old and over the centuries was destroyed and rebuilt several times. During the Nazi era it fell victim to the November Pogrom in 1938 (also known as Kristallnacht). In 1961 the reconstruction took place. At that time there was no Jewish community, but today services are held here again.

This synagogue also consists of the main worship chamber and a women's synagogue (on the left behind the columned passageways). As in Speyer, there is an ensemble consisting of synagogue and mikvah in Worms. This was unusual at the time and is what makes the ShUM Cities so special. The mikveh in Worms is currently being restored and can therefore not be visited.

The Holy Sands (Heiliger Sand) in Worms is still very important for Jewish people worldwide. Many famous scholars and rabbis are buried here, for example, Rabbi Meir von Rothenburg. There are over 2,500 visible gravestones here. Some are almost 1,000 years old. This makes Heiliger Sand the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe.

In Mainz, there are only a few traces of the great Jewish history left: a cemetery and remains of columns from the old synagogue (foreground picture). In 2010 a new, architecturally spectacular synagogue was built. It takes the form of the word "Kedushah" (sanctification), a prayer that pious Jews recite three times a day.

The worship hall is also impressive. The walls are gold-colored and decorated with Hebrew characters right up to the tower. Even the benches form a letter: Lamedh — the Hebrew L. The architect Manuel Herz designed the New Synagogue with the ShUM tradition in mind. Thus he dedicated his work to the famous Rabbi Gershom ben Jehuda from Mainz.

With the support of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the Jewish community, the three cities want their Jewish heritage declared a World Heritage and have submitted an application to UNESCO. Susanne Urban of the SchUM-association believes the SchUM-tradition can be successful because it fulfills the required criterion "filling the gaps". So far there are only a few Jewish World Heritage Sites.