Uman is preparing to welcome more than 40,000 Hasidim for Rosh Hashanah
Preparations have begun in the Cherkasy region for the annual Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman to mark Rosh Hashanah. This year, more than 40,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive; due to the suspension of air travel, they will be traveling to Ukraine by land.
According to Iryna Rybnytska, executive director of the “Uman Historical and Cultural Center” charitable foundation, approximately the same number of Hasidic Jews will arrive in Uman this year as last year—more than 40,000. The final number is not yet known, as preparations for the trips are still underway.
Due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace, Hasidim, as in previous years, will enter the country only by land—first flying to neighboring European countries, and then crossing the Ukrainian border by bus or private vehicle. Twenty-one border crossing points are planned to be used for entry and exit procedures.
Sixteen international mediators will assist Ukrainian law enforcement in maintaining public order during the pilgrimage. Preparations were discussed at an interagency meeting chaired by Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience.
“This is the fifth year we have been observing Rosh Hashanah amid a full-scale war. This is also the fifth year that a special interagency working group, established by order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, has been coordinating preparations for the pilgrimage,” Rybnytska noted, according to Suspilne Cherkasy.
As a reminder, as of September 15, more than 3,000 Hasidim had arrived in Uman. A total of 50,000 pilgrims are expected to attend this year’s Rosh Hashanah celebrations.
On the eve of the annual Hasidic pilgrimage for Rosh Hashanah, Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky visited Uman. The diplomat donated a water purification system to a local hospital.
Earlier, a delegation from the city of Uman in the Cherkasy region visited Israel, where they discussed the city’s development and Ukrainian-Israeli cooperation.
