After a spell of more than 70 years without such a Jewish celebration as a traditional wedding, the ancient German city of Speyer witnessed the wedding of two Jewish students beside the community’s historic synagogue and ritual bath.

Located alongside the Rhine River, Speyer was one of three cities, including Worms and Mainz, that were known as bastions of Ashkenazic Jewry during the Middle Ages. During Kristalnacht, its synagogue was consumed by fire and most of its Jewish inhabitants were expelled and killed during the ensuing Holocaust.

The wedding was conducted by Rabbi Menachem Gurewitz, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Offenbach am Main, who noted that the joy expressed by celebrants was a testament to Jewish life returning to the area.