UNESCO has included three "Shum" communities (Shapira, Vermeil, and Magnesia) on the banks of the Rhine River in the list of world heritage sites. This is the first time that Jewish communities in Germany have been awarded the title.

Members of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's World Heritage Committee convened in China have declared the communities of Mainz, Worms, and Speyer as world heritage sites. The communities were active in the Middle Ages, formed the cradle of Judaism in Europe, and have been dubbed "Jerusalem on the Rhine." 

The declaration includes the ancient Jewish part of Speyer with the mikveh and synagogue, inaugurated in 1104, the ancient cemetery of Worms, and the ancient cemetery of Mainz.