Trading one war for another, Israeli Jews stream to Ukraine’s Uman for Rosh Hashanah
Ignoring warnings from authorities about ongoing Russian invasion, over 14,000 pilgrims arrive for annual new year festival at grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
Thousands of Orthodox Jewish pilgrims have arrived in the Ukrainian city of Uman to mark the annual Rosh Hashanah festival despite Russia’s ongoing invasion, the country’s leading Jewish group said on Tuesday.
Every year, pilgrims from Israel and other countries travel to Uman to celebrate the holiday that marks the Jewish New Year at the grave of 19th-century mystic Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
Uman lies in central Ukraine, relatively far from the front line, but has been targeted by attacks — including deadly strikes — since Moscow’s offensive began in February 2022.
The pilgrims — overwhelmingly men and boys — have come to Ukraine throughout Moscow’s invasion, despite requests by Ukraine not to do so for security reasons.
“More than 14,000 pilgrims have arrived in Uman,” Ukraine’s main Jewish organization, the United Jewish Community of Ukraine, said on social media.
It published a video of hundreds of pilgrims dancing and celebrating to loud music in the center of the city.
More than 14 thousand Hasidim have already arrived in Uman, the united Jewish community of Ukraine.
The Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah will be celebrated from tomorrow until October 4. pic.twitter.com/EmzxfcCbzD
— Trending News (@Trend_War_Newss) October 1, 2024
“Every pilgrim entering the city is checked by law enforcement officers at special checkpoints,” it added.
Every year since the war began, the Ukrainian authorities have asked the pilgrims not to congregate in Uman, pointing out that their gatherings violate wartime restrictions that Ukrainians have to follow.
Pilgrims have been congregating in Uman for Rosh Hashanah for over 200 years, sometimes leading to friction with locals. In recent decades, a year-round Jewish community has put down roots in the city.
In April last year, a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the city killed 23 people.
Pilgrims coming from Israel are essentially leaving one war zone for another, with the Jewish state launching a military campaign in Lebanon in recent weeks to push the Hezbollah terror group away from Israel’s northern border and halt a year of rocket attacks.
