Germany’s New Guide for Jewish Travelers

In an effort to encourage Jewish tourism to Germany, the German National Tourist Board has released a 57-page guidebook titled Germany for the Jewish Traveler. Published in Hebrew and English, the downloadable e-brochure goes city by city, leading the Jewish traveler through Germany’s greatest sites and highlighting the significance of each to Jewish history. Germany’s tourism office first published a simple version of the brochure in the 1980s, but this new version is extremely thorough, packed with information for your Jewish journey through Germany.

Today, nearly seven decades after the end of World War II, Germany is home to the third-largest Jewish community in Western Europe. It’s also the only European Jewish community that is growing rather than shrinking. The guide is aimed at Jews from all over the world who want to explore what it calls an “entirely different Germany.”

Clear and sparkling photographs of impressive architecture and landscapes are mixed with animated icons that indicate Jewish community centers, Chabad-Lubavitch centers, kosher restaurants, and synagogues of various denominations. The names of large cities are transliterated into Hebrew and even tiny towns have descriptions that highlight their connection to Jewish heritage and history.

While the effort put into the project is certainly commendable, it may be difficult to determine whether the guide can accomplish its goal of providing Jewish travelers to Germany with a “provoking and unforgettable kaleidoscope of emotion and discovery.”

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