Over 20,000 Hasidic pilgrims gather in Uman for Rosh Hashanah
Over 20,000 Hasidic pilgrims from Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other European countries have gathered in the Ukrainian city of Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
The pilgrims have come to the tomb of the renowned Rabbi Nahman, to pray and celebrate the holiday, which this year is being celebrated between September 15 and 17. According to Ukrainian media, 22,000 pilgrims have already arrived in Uman, a kind of Mecca for these Jews.
Another few thousand are expected to arrive in the coming hours, bringing the total to over 30,000. Uman is relatively far from the front lines, but officials in Kyiv have warned Hasidics to refrain from travelling to Uman due to the inability to guarantee their safety in wartime. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the same appeal.
“About 22,000 Hasidic pilgrims have already arrived in Uman,” said regional governor Igor Taburets on Telegram.
Every year, Hasidic pilgrims come from all over the world to Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah at the tomb of Rabbi Nahman of Breslov (1772-1810), one of the leading figures of Hasidism, an Orthodox stream of Judaism.
“Mobile concrete shelters” have been installed and about a thousand law enforcement officers have been mobilised for the event, Tabourets added.
Police from Israel are also participating in operations in the pilgrimage area, according to the governor.
“The situation in Uman is currently stable and under control,” he said.
In September 2022, after several months of the Russian invasion, tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews gathered in Uman, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, himself of Jewish origin, called for “all prayers for victory, all prayers for peace in Ukraine to be heard,” the AFP news agency reported, citing Agerpres.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
