1,000 years of history lead to a lively present day
In the Middle Ages, the Jewish communities of the cities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz formed a union known as ShUM. The term is made up of the initial Hebrew letters of the cities.
- Schin for Schpira (Speyer),
- Waw for Warmaisa (Worms) and
- Mem for Magenza (Mainz).
The ShUM sites reflect the centuries-long tradition of Ashkenazi Judaism.
In the Middle Ages, ShUM was significant in both architectural and religious terms. Remains of Jewish ritual buildings bear witness to the former cultural prosperity of the three ShUM communities on the Rhine. Most of the monuments are open to the public.
In August 2012, the SchUM towns submitted their joint application for a World Heritage title via the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Culture. On July 27, 2021, the SchUM sites were added to the World Heritage List.
Shpira - Jewish Speyer
The earliest Jewish traces in Speyer date back to the 11th century. In the course of the High Middle Ages, the young community eventually developed into one of the most important in the Ashkenazi region. This peak phase ended with the outbreak of the plague, meaning that the Jewish community only regained relevance in the 19th century. Finally, National Socialism almost completely wiped out the Jewish population. Today, the Jewish community is visibly back in Speyer.
The Jewish community in the Middle Ages
In 1084, Bishop Rüdiger Huzmann settled Jews near the cathedral in an effort to enhance the city's reputation. The bishop and the emperor granted them favorable privileges. For example, they were able to carry out currency exchange transactions and trade in goods throughout the city and also had their own administration. The Jewish courtyard, the cultic center with a men's and women's synagogue and the ritual cold bath (mikvah) eventually became the focal point of the settlement.
The members of the community were active in long-distance trade and banking and had extensive economic and cultural connections to Jewish settlements in southern Europe and even to the Middle and Far East via the Islamic countries on the Mediterranean. Through their activities in long-distance trade, their knowledge of foreign scripts and languages and their religious erudition, they formed an economic and intellectual elite within the urban population.
The Jewish communities of Speyer, Mainz and Worms formed a union called “ShUM”, after the Hebrew initial letters of the cities, which Jews throughout Germany recognized as an authority in legal and religious matters. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the ShUM cities experienced a spiritual and economic heyday.
First pogroms, crusades and the plague
At the beginning of the First Crusade in 1096, some of the participants attacked the Jewish settlements along the Rhine on the way to the Holy Land, not even stopping at the Shum cities. On the way, they not only destroyed houses and places of worship, but also killed all Jews who did not want to be forcibly baptized. It was thanks to the courageous intervention of the then Bishop of Speyer, Johann, that the city suffered comparatively few deaths. He had brought them to his castle, tracked down the persecutors and then punished those involved severely.
Like the first, the second crusade in 1146 also brought unrest, which was once again mitigated by the protection of the episcopal city lord.
Around a century later, however, the incumbent bishop failed to provide protection when a Christian woman was found murdered outside the city walls. The Jews were accused of the crime and as a result their houses were burned, they were robbed or killed. The king's brother, Duke Otto, ordered all the citizens involved in the pogrom to rebuild their houses and then instructed the Jews who had fled to return to the city.
When the plague spread across Europe in 1349, the Jewish population was held responsible in many places - they were persecuted and their places of worship and houses were burned down. This was also the case in Speyer. A few years later, Jews returned to Speyer, but their community never regained the importance it had in its heyday.
from the 19th century to the present day
It was not until the 19th century that the number of members of the community grew again, but anti-Semitism caused many to emigrate once more. In 1939, there were now 77 Jews living in Speyer, almost all of whom fell victim to the Holocaust. Only since the mid-1990s has there been a Jewish community in Speyer again. A new synagogue was built for them in Speyer between 2008 and 2011 on the site of the former St. Guido's Church by the Jewish Community of the Rhineland-Palatinate, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the city of Speyer.
Guided tours through Jewish Speyer
Get to know the city's Jewish heritage in special guided tours and let us tell you about 1,000 years of Jewish history in Speyer.
The Judenhof, the new synagogue or the stumbling stones in front of the houses in the city: our specially trained guides will show you the places that are significant for Jewish life in Speyer. You can book our guides for your preferred date via the Tourist Information Office.