Ashkenazi chief rabbi visits Ukraine ahead of annual Uman pilgrimage

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber visited Ukraine over the weekend, his spokesperson tells The Times of Israel, in what he describes as a visit to strengthen Jewish communities in the war-torn country.

The visit opened in the city of Uman, home to an annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage at the gravesite of Rabbi Nahman of Breslov that regularly draws tens of thousands of Jews, and a hefty helping of controversy.

Over the past several years, Ukrainian officials have tried — with little success — to tamp down on the pilgrimage, first due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and since 2002, because of security concerns stemming from the ongoing war with Russia.

In the last few days, ultra-Orthodox political leaders have spoken of efforts to make sure the pilgrimage is able to go ahead during the upcoming holiday, which begins on September 22, including reportedly securing NIS 10 million ($3 million) in government funds to facilitate travel there via Moldova. Shas leader Aryeh Deri is also seeking special permission for ultra-Orthodox men evading mandatory military conscription — which normally results in a travel ban — to be allowed to leave the country for the occasion.

Ber was apparently accompanied on the trip by Shas MK Michael Malchieli, who served as religious affairs minister until last month, when the party resigned from the government over the draft issue, which came to a head following the High Court of Justice declaring blanket exemptions in place for decades illegal.

Ber and Malchieli also visited the Dnipro region, where they met with rabbis, community members and local authorities, including the regional governor Serhiy Lysak, a picture shows.

“Like the Jewish people, so too the Ukrainian people will turn crisis into growth,” Ber says in a statement.