Disappointed with Israel: Ukraine to ban Hasidic pilgrimage, media

Hasidim in Uman. Photo: Novaya Gazeta Europe

Ukraine is using the ban on the traditional Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman as a tool to pressure Israel, demanding greater support in the war against Russia. Kyiv decided to ban the annual pilgrimage of tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews to Uman this September, officially citing security concerns, reports Israeli media.

An unnamed Ukrainian official told the Israeli resource i24 that Kyiv is disappointed with the lack of support from Israel in the face of Russian threats and demanded that Jerusalem provide both financial support and a physical police presence in Uman if the pilgrimage is allowed. Ukrainian authorities openly express dissatisfaction with the "insufficient support" from Israel in confronting Russia and hint that they may allow the pilgrimage on the condition of Israeli funding and the presence of Israeli police in Uman.

The decision to ban pilgrims from visiting the grave of the Hasidic leader Rabbi Nachman of Breslov during the Rosh Hashanah holiday is nominally related to the ban on mass gatherings in effect throughout Ukraine since February 2022. However, these threats did not prevent the pilgrimage from taking place during all the years of the full-scale invasion.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that DESS announced "the largest Jewish pilgrimage in the world".

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