SchUM / Jewish Mainz

BEIT CHAIM - Old Jewish Cemetery:

Along Mombacher Straße lies the idyllic Old Jewish Cemetery "Am Judensand". It is the oldest and largest medieval Jewish cemetery in Europe. Since July 2021, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Jewish cultural sites of the so-called SchUM communities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz. On a tour, the history and significance of this cemetery, known in Hebrew as "Beit Chaim" (House of Life), will be explained, as well as personalities, gravestone symbolism and mourning rituals.

Men are asked to wear headgear when visiting the cemetery!

Duration: 1,5 hours
Price: 140€

Meeting Point: Alter jüdischer Friedhof, Mombacherstraße, Entry left (across form niu mood Hotel / Mombacherstraße 6)

The Jewish community in Mainz was the starting point of occidental Judaism and a center of Jewish culture and scholarship. From the cathedral to Klarastraße, through the Landesmuseum, to the new synagogue and Feldberg School, we show you forgotten places of Jewish life.

Attention from the cathedral square to the New Synagogue it is 2 km walking distance.

Along with the Rhineland-Palatinate cities of Speyer and Worms, Mainz is one of the so-called SchUM cities. The abbreviation SchUM stands for the first letters of the medieval, Hebrew names of Speyer, Worms and Mainz. All three cities share an important Jewish heritage, which is why the SchUM sites (Judensand, Heiliger Sand, Judenhof) in Mainz, Worms and Speyer were declared World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO Committee in July 2021. The SchUM sites are thus the first Jewish World Heritage Site in Germany.

Duration: 1,5-2 hours
Price: 140€

Plus 1,00 €entrance fee for the Landesmuseum, if you want to visit the Judaica exhibition.