Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Despite War, Thousands Of Jews In Ukrainian City For Annual Pilgrimage

Despite War, Thousands Of Jews In Ukrainian City For Annual Pilgrimage

Every year, Hasidic Jewish pilgrims come to Uman in central Ukraine from across the world to visit the tomb of one of the main figures of Hasidic Judaism.

Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews gathered in the Ukrainian city of Uman for their annual pilgrimage, officials said Sunday, despite authorities asking them to skip the trip because of the war.

Every year, Hasidic Jewish pilgrims come to Uman in central Ukraine from across the world to visit the tomb of one of the main figures of Hasidic Judaism for the Jewish new year celebration of Rosh Hashanah.

"This is the most important day of the year to be able to connect with God. And this a great place to do it," one pilgrim, Aaron Allen, told AFP.

Uman is relatively far from the frontline, but Ukrainian and Israeli authorities still urged worshippers to skip the celebrations taking place between September 25 and 27 this year.

Despite the warnings, crowds of Hasidim dressed in traditional black clothing gathered in Uman, celebrating in the streets.

"There were sirens, but coming from Israel we are used to sirens, we know what to do. We feel pretty safe," said Allen, a 48-year-old doctor from Yad Binyamin.

Pilgrims often cite a religious text from Rabbi Nachman, the founder of an ultra-Orthodox movement who died in the city in 1810, in which he promised he would "save (worshippers) from hell" if they came to visit his tomb on Rosh Hashanah.

Police set up a wide perimeter to access the area around the grave, checking IDs and only letting through residents and Hasidim.

The sale of alcohol, fireworks and toy guns is forbidden during the festivities in Uman, regional police spokeswoman Zoya Vovk told AFP. A curfew between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am is also in place.

Buzzing celebrations

In his daily address to the nation on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted to "congratulate the Ukrainian Jewish community and all Jews around the world on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah."

"May all prayers for victory, all prayers for peace in Ukraine be heard", he added.

And despite the restrictions, the shrine housing the tomb was buzzing with celebrations on Sunday.

Pilgrims -- only men and boys -- were praying, pressed against the white walls and columns of the burial place.

Outside, a simultaneous prayer from hundreds of pilgrims resonated.

Metres away from the temple, shouting over a multi-voiced prayer, pilgrim Yaniv Vakhnin explained how Rabbi Nachman could provide solace at the most challenging of times.

"Rabbi Nachman says that even (when) there is war in a country whoever listens to him will not be affected", the 48-year-old from Safed in northern Israel said.

"We are protected fully by the tzaddik (Nachman), and we feel very safe and very happy to be together," he added.

Vakhnin said it took him 30 hours to get to Uman: first a flight to neighbouring Romania and then a 15-hour bus journey.

He came to Ukraine as a confirmation of the steadfastness of his faith with two of his children, while five more remained at home.

"We are going to pray to God. And hopefully Ukraine will not be hurt and will win the war, because Rabbi Nachman is buried here, so Ukraine is protected," Vakhnin said.

The United Jewish Community of Ukraine organisation said that more than 23,000 pilgrims had arrived in Uman.

Police will not reveal exactly how many pilgrims have attended until the end of the festivities for fear of attacks from Russia.

"We understand that there is a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and that the enemy is monitoring information," police spokeswoman Vovk told AFP.

"The only thing I can say is tens of thousands (of pilgrims have already arrived)".

In September 2020, thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews were trapped for days between the borders of Belarus and Ukraine after Kyiv refused to allow them entry due to the Covid pandemic.

Uman was hit by Russian missiles in the early weeks of the war, and last month a civilian was killed by a Russian missile in the district.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
×