UMAN, Ukraine — Thousands of Hasidic Jewish pilgrims have flocked to central Ukraine to mark the Jewish new year, ignoring international travel warnings that came as Russia struck more targets in Ukraine from the air and mobilized its citizens to stem losses in the war that has entered its eighth month.
The Jewish pilgrims, many traveling from Israel and further afield, converged on the small city of Uman, the burial site of Nachman of Breslov, a respected Hasidic rabbi who died in 1810.
The streets of one of Uman's central neighborhoods were packed with men of all ages wearing traditional black coats and long side curls. Some chanted prayers. Others screamed, shouted and danced. Advertisements and directional signs in Hebrew blanketed the area.
Some visitors, like Nahum Markowitz from Israel, have been making the journey for years and weren't about to let the war get in the way this year.
“We are not afraid. If we come to Rabbi Nachman, he will protect us for the whole year,” said Markowitz, who has been visiting Uman since 1991, when the collapse of the Soviet Union made the pilgrimage accessible to foreign visitors.
The Ukrainian embassy to Israel has repeatedly urged those planning a pilgrimage to stay home. The Israeli and American governments also cautioned citizens not to make the trip this year.
A reported 23,000 pilgrims were in Uman on Sunday.
