2 tests, set groups, supervised quarantine: Ministers said to propose Uman plan
Unclear if Ukraine will make exception for Israeli pilgrims and waive ban on foreigners; proposal said to allow for 5,000-7,500 pilgrims to make trip, including those already there
A ministerial team has formulated a plan to facilitate the visit of Israeli pilgrims to the city of Uman for the Rosh Hashanah holiday, even as Ukraine has barred the entry of foreign nationals in a bid to control the pandemic, Hebrew-language media reported on Saturday.
According to Channel 12 news, a ministerial team set up to look into the matter has proposed that some pilgrims be allowed to make the trip, but must remain in capsules — set groups of a number of people. The groups would reportedly be made up of dozens of pilgrims rather than hundreds.
The second main point of the plan is that visits to the the gravesite of the Bratslav movement’s founder, Rabbi Nachman, will be conducted in a constantly moving line of pilgrims to prevent gatherings.
The third pillar of the proposal is that the pilgrims will reportedly also travel back to Israel in their capsules and would be placed in supervised isolation.
The report did not clarify how they would make the trip without coming into contact with other individuals, or whether supervised isolation meant they would be compelled to stay in a quarantine hotel.
According to the Walla news site, the plan would cover 5,000-7,500 travelers from Israel, including those who are already in Ukraine.
Additionally, the report said priority would be given to applicants who have already contracted and recovered from the coronavirus, who have at least two negative test results, and said the plan would have a national coordinator.
Ukraine barred foreign nationals from entering the country throughout September to control the coronavirus pandemic, and it was unclear that Kyiv would be open to making an exception for Israeli pilgrims.
Last week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the formation of a ministerial team to formulate a plan amid anger among Bratslav Hasidim at the premier, who they believe acted to thwart their arrival in the eastern European country over the Jewish new year.
The team is headed by Likud minister Ze’ev Elkin and includes Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Science Minister Izhar Shay.
Coronavirus czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu has come out strongly against the pilgrimage, warning that returning travelers could spread COVID-19.
Uman usually sees tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews visit the gravesite of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav for the Rosh Hashanah holiday, which this year begins in the evening of September 18.
Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox allies have fumed at Gamzu over his opposition to the flights, with Health Minister Yaakov Litzman calling for him to resign. Officials in the Bratslav Hasidic sect have vowed to never back Netanyahu again.
According to Channel 12, after the Hasidim withdrew their support, Netanyahu told leading rabbis he was working to find a solution.
Clashes were reported Saturday night in Jerusalem between police and members of the Bratslav Hasidic sect, who have joined the weekly anti-Netanyahu protests over the government attempts to limit their pilgrimage to Uman. A video showed police and protesters fighting on King George Street in downtown Jerusalem, several blocks away from the main demonstration site.
Last week also saw dozens of Ukrainian locals clash with Hasidic Jews trying to enter Uman. Videos posted to social media showed angry crowds confronting the pilgrims before dawn Friday, pushing and shoving them as they tried to prevent them from entering apartments they had rented. Residents yelled in Ukrainian at the Hasidim to get out and told them they were acting dangerously. Ukrainian police were also investigating the assault of a Jewish man in a supermarket in Uman.
Gamzu had previously appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky directly, without notifying Netanyahu, to ask him to prevent the pilgrimage.
Zelensky then announced that Ukraine would “significantly limit” the entry of Jewish visitors for Rosh Hashanah at Netanyahu’s request, but didn’t specify the degree to which the pilgrimage would be limited. Netanyahu’s office swiftly denied that the premier had made such a request, in what seemed like an effort to assuage his ultra-Orthodox allies.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has also signaled the government would impose a ban on large gatherings in Uman during the Jewish new year.
