Jews Flock to Ukraine for New Year Pilgrimage Despite Travel Warning

Thousands of Orthodox Jews flocked to the Ukrainian city of Uman on Monday for the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, despite warnings from Kyiv not to travel due to the Russian invasion.

It is the second year running when the pilgrimage is taking place amid the war in Gaza, with large numbers coming from Israel.

Every year, pilgrims from Israel and other countries travel to Uman, the birthplace of the Orthodox Hasidic movement, to celebrate the holiday that marks the Jewish New Year.

A spokesman for Ukraine’s border guard told AFP “more than 35,000” travelled to Ukraine for the three-day celebration.

Crowds of pilgrims lined the streets of Uman, a small city around 300 kilometres (190 miles) from the front line, many of them reciting prayers.

Uman has been a site of worship for over 200 years, but with Russia’s invasion and Ukraine’s airspace closed, the journey has become particularly problematic.

The city has previously been targeted by deadly Russian air strikes in the three and a half years since Moscow invaded.

“I think we’re the only tourists in Ukraine right now,” Ran Frank, 35, from Jerusalem, told AFP.

Many of the pilgrims said they felt safer in Ukraine than at home.

“If you compare it to Israel, Ukraine is much more wide and spread. So I’m less afraid here than where I come from,” Frank said.

Eliran Acoca, 40, said he was “not afraid” of a “bomb from Putin” and would continue coming to Uman as long as he could.

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“If the Messiah will come, we don’t come here, but until the Messiah (comes)... we continue to reach here every year. No matter how how much it’s going to cost, we will come every year to Uman,” he said.

Rosh Hashanah has attracted crowds of thousands to Uman throughout the war, with around 35,000 visiting in both 2023 and 2024, according to media reports.

Kyiv advises against large gatherings, demonstrations and public events, fearing they could be targets for Russian attacks.