The U.S. has urged its Hasidic community not to travel to Uman this fall
The U.S. State Department has advised American citizens to refrain from visiting Uman in the Cherkasy region during the annual Hasidic pilgrimage for Rosh Hashanah, which this year falls on September 11–13.
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine noted that the advisory is due to the highest level of security alert caused by ongoing Russian airstrikes on civilian targets and critical infrastructure throughout the country.
The diplomatic mission emphasized that, according to local authorities, Uman lacks sufficient shelters to properly accommodate such a large number of pilgrims. In addition, the movement and stay of foreigners in the city will be significantly affected by current martial law restrictions, particularly the curfew.
Source: U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.
The first Hasidic pilgrims began arriving in Uman on the eve of the Rosh Hashanah celebrations. Some pilgrims arrive in advance to prepare for the holiday, visit Rabbi Nachman’s grave, and arrange accommodations.
On July 29, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Hasidic pilgrims to take security risks into account when traveling to Uman for the Rosh Hashanah celebrations. The ministry emphasized that due to Russia’s ongoing massive missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, it is impossible to guarantee the complete safety of foreign citizens on Ukrainian territory.
