Ukraine warns Haredi Israelis against flying to country for annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage

Ukraine warns ultra-Orthodox Israelis against flying to the country for the annual pilgrimage to the gravesite of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov during the Rosh Hashanah holiday, due to dangers posed by the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian Embassy notes on social media that due to the ongoing war, all visitors are banned from the country and that celebrations over the Jewish new year were “uncertain.”

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk tells ultra-Orthodox media that the country “cannot guarantee the security of pilgrims” due to the Russian offensive, and asked the ultra-Orthodox community to “pray for the victory of Ukraine.”

“We hope that the prayers will be fulfilled and that Ukraine will once again be a country that generously receives visitors from Israel, and especially Jews who come to Ukraine to visit the graves of the righteous,” he adds.

The city of Uman, the site of the Rabbi’s grave, normally sees some 30,000 visitors, most of them from Israel, for the Rosh Hashanah holiday.