Chai Festival — Jewish Culture in the Judenhof

Chai — Time for Jewish Culture

„Chai“ means „Life“ in Hebrew and is a central symbol of Jewish culture — the festival bears this name as its program. It is a young event — the 2nd edition in 2026 builds on the successful premiere in 2025 and is establishing itself as a regular format in Speyer’s cultural calendar.

UNESCO World Heritage Judenhof

The venue is the Judenhof Speyer — since 2021 part of the UNESCO World Heritage „SchUM Sites Speyer, Worms and Mainz“. SchUM (the acronym from the Hebrew initial letters of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz) refers to the three medieval Jewish communities that formed the spiritual center of Ashkenazi Judaism in the 11th and 12th centuries. The Judenhof houses the remains of the 11th-century synagogue and a well-preserved medieval Mikwe (ritual bath).

Four Open-Air Concerts

The four concerts of the festival take place in various locations within the Judenhof — under the protective roof of the Mikwe and on the lawn in front of the synagogue remains. The combination of medieval architecture and contemporary Jewish music creates a special atmosphere.

2026 Program

The 2026 program brings international artists to Speyer. Thu 4.6.: Folkadu feat. Yaser Bayat — „Jewish-Persian Encounters“, an interreligious dialogue between Jewish and Persian-Iranian musical traditions. Fri 5.6.: Daniel Kahn, Jake Shulman-Ment & Christian Dawid — „Umru / Unrest“, Yiddish songs between tradition and political song. Sat 6.6.: Ida Gillner & Livet Nord — „Shtoltse lider“, Swedish-Yiddish connection. Sun 7.6.: Hans-Jürgen Herschel & Lömsch Lehmann — a literary-musical program to conclude.

Organizer Cooperation

The festival is jointly supported by the Verkehrsverein Speyer, the City of Speyer, and the Jewish Community of Rhineland-Palatinate. This cooperation connects tourism, city, and religious-cultural stakeholders, enabling professional festival execution at the sensitive site of a UNESCO World Heritage location.