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

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.

Officials said Sunday that tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews have gathered in the Ukrainian city of Uman to perform the pilgrimage, despite being asked by authorities to skip the trip due to the war.

every year,

Hasidic Jewish pilgrims come to Uman in central Ukraine from all over the world to visit the tomb of one of the main figures of Hasidic Judaism to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

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

Uman is relatively far from the front line, but Ukrainian and Israeli authorities are still urging worshipers to skip the celebrations that take place between September 25 and 27 this year.

Despite the warnings, crowds of Hasidim dressed in traditional black clothes gathered in Uman to celebrate in the streets.

"There were sirens,

But coming from Israel we are used to sounding sirens, we know what to do. "We feel safe," said Allen, 48, a physician from Yad Benjamin.

Pilgrims often cite a religious text from Rabbi Nachman, the founder of the ultra-Orthodox movement who died in the city in 1810,

In which he promised that he would "save (the worshipers) from Hell" if they came to visit his grave on New Year's Day.

Police set up a wide perimeter to access the area around the cemetery, checked ID cards and only allowed residents to pass through the Hasidim.

The sale of liquor, fireworks and the playing of guns are prohibited during the festivities in Uman,

District police spokeswoman Zoya Vovk told AFP. A curfew was also imposed between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am.

raucous parties

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 New Year's Day."

"I hope that every prayer for victory, every prayer for peace in Ukraine will be heard," he added.

Despite the restrictions, the shrine that houses the cemetery was bustling with celebrations on Sundays.

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Pilgrims - only men and boys - were praying, pressed against the white walls and pillars of the tomb.

the outside,

The simultaneous prayers of hundreds of pilgrims resonate.

A few meters from the temple, Haji Yaniv Vakhnin, shouting in a polyphonic prayer, how could Rabbi Nachman provide solace in the most difficult times.

“Rabbi Nachman says that even (when) there is a war in the country of everyone who listens to him will not be affected,” 48-

General from the city of Safed in northern Israel.

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

It took 30 hours to get to Uman, Vaknin said: first a flight into neighboring Romania and then a 15-hour bus ride.

He came to Ukraine to confirm the firmness of his faith with two of his sons, while five others remained at home.

"We will pray to God. We hope that Ukraine will not be harmed and will win the war, because Rabbi Nachman is buried here, and therefore Ukraine is protected," Vakhnin said.

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

The police will not reveal exactly how many pilgrims attended until the end of the festivities, fearing attacks from Russia.

“We understand that there is

"The scale of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that the enemy is monitoring the information," police spokeswoman Vovk told AFP.

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

In September 2020, thousands of Ultra- devices appeared

Orthodox Jews were trapped for several days between the borders of Belarus and Ukraine after Kyiv refused to let them in due to the Covid pandemic.

BY
ProBuzzFeed