place · L0207

Worms וורמייזא

Rhineland city, one of the three ShUM communities (Speyer, Worms, Mainz) that formed the cradle of Ashkenazic Torah. Rashi studied here under R' Yitzchak HaLevi; its 11th-century synagogue (rebuilt after repeated destructions) and Europe's oldest surviving Jewish cemetery still stand.

The Worms synagogue ("Rashi Shul") — the Romanesque stone building with its steep slate roof, destroyed on Kristallnacht in 1938 and rebuilt in 1958–61 to the medieval form; the low annex at left is the Rashi chapel, the former yeshiva. — Photo: Immanuel Giel, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I. Who

Hebrew: וורמייזא
Also known as: Vermaiza, Warmaisa

III. Where

Modern location: Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

V. How do we know

Claim	Evidence	Confidence	Sources
Worms was one of the ShUM cities whose communities and customs shaped Ashkenaz; its Jewish quarter, synagogue, and cemetery are documented from the 11th century and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.	external archaeology	★★★★☆	Worms, Germany
Rashi studied in the yeshiva of Worms under R' Yitzchak HaLevi before returning to Troyes.	external tradition	★★★★☆	Rashi

Referenced by: Yaakov ben Yakar, Yitzchak HaLevi (of Worms), Rashi, Maharam of Rothenburg, The Rosh