Klezmer.welten Gelsenkirchen

2025 Review

The 2025 edition of Klezmer.welten confirmed the proven concept of the Jewish Community of Gelsenkirchen: a festival marathon spread over three weeks with selected concerts in extraordinary venues. The program presented traditional Yiddish songs, classic Klezmer, and modern crossover projects. Performances took place, among others, in the Neue Synagoge Gelsenkirchen, the Alte Synagoge Essen, and at Schloss Horst.

As in previous years, the festival combined musical quality with cultural-political significance — since 2003, Klezmer.welten has been considered Germany's most important contribution to the preservation of Yiddish music and a vital bridge-builder between Jewish tradition and the local community.