Imagine a picturesque German city, castles and houses nestled on a grand river surrounded by the forest - you’re probably imagining Heidelberg! Sitting on the Rhine, Heidelberg is a dazzling mix of romantic castles, a baroque old town, beautiful scenery, and the buzzing energy that comes the multitudes of students that call the city home.
The city has a complicated relationship with the Jewish community that has been a part of the city since the 13thcentury. Originally welcomed into university life, a rarity at the time, they soon fell under waves of antisemitism that would come to define the region. Today, you can see the scars of the old community and the sites of resistance, including the surviving Jewish Cemetery, Sibbleyhaus, or Uniplatz, and see the light of the future at the new Jewish School, Library, and Synagogue.