Frankfurt – SHUM cities sightseeing

Illuminated Old Bridge Gate in Heidelberg, Germany

Embark on enriching Jewish Heritage Tours Germany that explore the legendary ShUM Jewish sites of Mainz, Worms, and Speyer, along with immersive Frankfurt Jewish tours that illuminate a thousand years of Ashkenazi history. Visit medieval synagogues, ancient mikvaot, Europe’s oldest preserved Jewish cemetery, and the graves of influential leaders including Rabbenu Gershom, Rashi’s teachers, and Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. From the renewed Jewish community of Mainz to the historic Jewish quarters of Worms, the medieval mikveh of Speyer, and Frankfurt’s Judengasse archaeological site, these custom itineraries connect travelers to the origins, evolution, and resilience of Ashkenazi Jewish life in Europe.

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Discover the most significant Jewish heritage sites in and around Frankfurt with custom private tours that bring Ashkenazi history to life. The Jewish communities of Mainz, Worms, and Speyer—known collectively as the ShUM cities—date back to the 10th century and are among the earliest and most influential Jewish settlements in Europe. These destinations are central to Ashkenazi tradition, rabbinic scholarship, and the cultural development of medieval European Jewry.

Mainz – The First ShUM City

Your journey begins in Mainz, home to the great scholar Rabbenu Gershom ben Judah (960–1040), honored as “Meor Ha-Golah” (“Light of the Diaspora”). His decrees shaped Jewish communal life and helped define Ashkenazic Judaism. We visit his gravesite and explore the location of his renowned yeshivah, which drew leading scholars including Rashi.

The tour continues to the striking New Mainz Synagogue, inaugurated in 2011, whose architecture forms the Hebrew word Kedusha, symbolizing the renewal of Jewish life. Mainz is also the birthplace of Johannes Gutenberg. Guests may explore the Gutenberg Museum and other cultural sites during free time.

Worms – “Little Jerusalem”

Travel onward to Worms, historically one of the most significant Jewish centers in medieval Europe. Highlights include the Holy Sands Cemetery, the oldest preserved Jewish burial ground in Europe; the tomb of Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg; the reconstructed 11th-century Rashi Synagogue; and the 17th-century Rashi Chapel. Worms remains a rare example of preserved and revived Jewish sites in Germany.

Day Tour of Speyer and Heidelberg

Begin the day in Speyer, completing the exploration of the ShUM cities. Learn about the bishop who welcomed Jewish settlement in 1084, and visit remnants of medieval synagogues and the extraordinarily preserved 12th-century mikveh, built by the same craftsmen as the Speyer Cathedral. We also visit the local Jewish museum.

The tour continues to Heidelberg, celebrated as Germany’s most romantic city. Visit Heidelberg Castle and the historic university founded in 1386. Heidelberg is home to a renowned center for Jewish Studies established in 1979. The tour includes Synagogenplatz, a memorial marking the synagogue destroyed during Kristallnacht in 1938.

Overnight in Mainz.

Day Tour of Frankfurt

Upon arrival in Frankfurt, begin at the iconic medieval Römer, where emperors were once crowned, and learn about the “court Jews” who shaped regional trade and finance. Continue to the Museum Judengasse, built above the remains of Frankfurt’s medieval ghetto. Visitors may descend into an 800-year-old mikveh and see original house foundations.

At the adjacent Old Jewish Cemetery, view medieval headstones adorned with gryphons and dragons, and experience the powerful Wall of Remembrance, honoring Frankfurt’s Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Additional highlights include:

The gravesite of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, founder of German Neo-Orthodoxy
The graves of 800 Jews who took their own lives to avoid Nazi persecution
The graves of 50 Jewish soldiers who died in World War I
The Rothschild Palace, home of the Jewish Museum
A possible visit to the Westend Synagogue, which survived Kristallnacht and WWII

The tour also passes the birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and explores modern Frankfurt landmarks such as Europe’s tallest skyscrapers, the Museum Riverbank, and the Gothic cathedral rising 95 meters above the city.

Custom Private Jewish Heritage Tours

This is a fully customized private itinerary tailored to each traveler. A minimum of three nights’ accommodations, sightseeing, and transfers is required. Contact us to design your personalized Jewish Heritage Tour of Frankfurt, Mainz, Worms, and Speyer.

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