"The Stones Speak" — 100 Years of the Mainz Memorial Cemetery

Lecture on November 18 at 5:00 p.m. at the Judensand Visitor Center

Black-and-white photo showing people dressed in festive attire standing around a gravestone — Opening of the Memorial Cemetery in 1926—the Jewish and Christian communities of the city gather around the relics of medieval history

In 1926, medieval tombstones were erected at the old Jewish cemetery in Mainz. In doing so, Rabbis Dr. Siegmund Salfeld and Dr. Sali Levi created a unique memorial site for Mainz’s SchUM tradition. Representatives of the Jewish and Christian communities, as well as politicians from the city of Mainz and the state of Hesse, gathered for the dedication of the memorial cemetery.

For the Jewish community and its members were firmly rooted in city life at that time. Jewish residents of Mainz were active in politics, culture, and education and donated generously to social causes. At the same time, they still had to defend themselves against openly expressed anti-Semitism, which became increasingly aggressive and radical after World War I.