German City, Jewish Memory: The Story of Worms
Nils Roemer
A remarkable, in-depth study of Jewish history, culture and memory in a historic and contemporary German city
German and Jewish ways of life have been interwoven in Worms, Germany for over a thousand years. Despite radical changes brought about by expulsion of Jews, wartime devastation, social advancement, cultural and religious renewal and the Jewish community’s destruction during the Holocaust, the Jewish sites of Worms display a remarkable degree of continuity, which has contributed to the development of distinct urban Jewish cultures, memories and identities.
Tracing the recollection and invention of local Jewish historical traditions in religious commemorations, historical writings, museums and historical monuments, and the transformation from “sites” to “sights” in the form of tourism from the Middle Ages to the present, Roemer’s rich study of Worms offers a blueprint for historians interested in developing similar studies of cities over the longue durée.
Purchase from University of Chicago Press
About the Author
Nils Roemer is associate professor of Holocaust studies at the University of Texas, Dallas.