Wednesday, August 03, 2022
In Ukraine’s Uman, locals predict war won’t keep all Jewish pilgrims away
Residents of the central Ukrainian city of Uman have grown accustomed to hosting tens of thousands of Jewish worshippers during the annual Rosh Hashana pilgrimage. Many work in Jewish-owned businesses come September, some have learned more Hebrew than one might expect, and most speak with some measure of pride about their hometown's fame and status as a sacred site.
Now, with a five-month-long war between Russia and Ukraine still raging, the pilgrimage is very much in doubt. Israel and Ukraine have issued warnings to deter the worshippers, but it is unclear how much of an effect they have had.
Locals in Uman told The Times of Israel this week that they expect thousands of Hasidim and others to make the journey anyway.
Even before the war, the annual pilgrimage, a major economic driver for the city, had been badly disrupted by the pandemic. In 2020, with COVID-19 travel restrictions still largely in place globally, thousands of ultra-Orthodox pilgrims tried to enter the country.
Only 3,000 worshippers made it through before Kyiv closed its borders to avoid an outbreak, while others spent the holiday camped on the side of the road near the border begging to be let in.
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