The Jewish Quarter
Most frequently booked are our Jewish Berlin tours, focusing on the history and current life of Jews in Berlin. Who were the Jews of Berlin that made this community so successful before the Holocaust?
Our journey through the traces of our heritage starts with its mysterious beginnings in the Middle Ages, continues through its blossoming during modern times and its contribution to European Enlightenment, deals extensively with the persecution during the Nazi era and last, but not least, presents the revival of Jewish life in contemporary Berlin.
The reconstructed dome of Berlin's “New Synagogue" from 1995
The core of Berlin's Jewish community was in the old Jewish quarter, which after Berlin's division was in the Soviet sector. But since the reunification of Berlin it has reemerged and is nowadays packed with institutions, memorials and stories waiting for you to discover.
During our tour through the quarter, we will visit the most important locations, where outstanding personalities lived and where Berlin’s Jewish history has taken place before, during and after the Holocaust. We will also experience stories of rescue and survival during the Nazi period, at the exact locations where they happened, while looking into the lives of German women and men who went into great danger in order to help Jews.
Here are some of the locations we'll visit:
The “Hackesche” courtyards, where the founder of Reform Judaism lived
The Jewish elementary schools for boys and girls and the contemporary Jewish high school, the first one to open in Germany since the Holocaust
The old and new synagogues
The oldest Jewish cemetery in Berlin’s historical center, where Moses Mendelssohn is buried
The two neighboring rabbinical seminaries - reform and orthodox - that made Berlin important also in religious terms
The former address of the first female rabbi in Jewish history
The location of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
Otto Weidt's brushes and brooms workshop for the blind
Meaningful and impressive memorials such as the Stumbling Stones, the Deserted Room, the Missing House and the Block of Women
And more!
The Block of Women
If you'd like, we can also incorporate into our tour other important locations that aren't really within the old quarter but can be easily reached: The central Holocaust memorial, the beautiful memorial for the Kindertransport that rescued so many to Britain, and the memorial to Moses Mendelssohn at his former address.
All of these locations are in East-Berlin. While we think you should begin your exploration of Jewish Berlin in the old Jewish quarter, there's also much to see in West-Berlin: The Grunewald train station, the Bavarian Quarter and more. These are a part of our Advanced Jewish Berlin Tour.
Naturally, we can combine different Jewish locations in both East and West into one tailor-made, full-day tour. And in case your family traces back to Berlin, we could also visit locations that have to do with your personal history.
We would be happy to advise you personally in planning our Jewish Berlin tour and in preparing your visit to Berlin.
“Here lived..." - Stumbling Stones for Berlin's Jews murdered by the Nazis