39. Jewish Cultural Days Berlin 2026

Berlin's Jewish Cultural Festival Since 1987

When Berliners talk about Jewish life in the city, they inevitably also talk about the Jewish Cultural Days Berlin. The Jewish Community of Berlin has been organizing this festival since 1987, which has since become one of the largest and most visible major Jewish cultural events in Germany. The 39th edition takes place from November 12 to 22, 2026 — eleven days with over 40 individual events showcasing the breadth of Jewish cultural creation.

Rykestraße Synagogue as Festival Center

For years, the main venue has been the Rykestraße Synagogue in Prenzlauer Berg (Pankow district) — Berlin's largest active synagogue with over 1,000 seats, built in 1904 and one of the few surviving Jewish sacred buildings in the city after the Nazi era. The major concerts and opening events take place here. In addition, the festival traditionally takes place at various other locations in Berlin — Neue Synagoge — Centrum Judaicum in Mitte, Jewish community centers, theaters, and concert halls.

Concerts, Theater, Readings, Film

The Cultural Days' program is broadly conceived: concerts of classical and contemporary music (Klezmer, Jewish sacred music, jazz, pop), theater productions, readings of current German-Jewish and Israeli literature, screenings of new Israeli feature films with film discussions, panel discussions, and workshops for children and youth. The festival thus covers the entire spectrum of Jewish cultural creation — from tradition to avant-garde, from religious to secular formats.

International Line-up of Artists

The list of artists is international every year: German Jews, Israelis, and diaspora artists from the USA, France, England, and other European countries share the stages. In the previous year (38th edition 2025), performers included comedian Lior Suchard, singer Marina Maximilian, pianist Rami Kleinstein, and jazz bassist Avishai Cohen with the Hebrew Book Band. A similar caliber is expected for 2026 — the official program announcement will be made in the summer of 2026.

A Festival with Political Dimension

The Jewish Cultural Days are not just a cultural festival, but also a political statement: at a time when Jewish life in Germany is increasingly under pressure, they make the diversity, creativity, and self-evidence of Jewish culture in Berlin visible — and underscore that this city has been a place of Jewish cultural renewal for almost four decades. The Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Societal Cohesion supports the festival, which is thus also anchored in state politics.