The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied Aug. 25 he had requested that Ukraine limit the number of pilgrims traveling to Uman. The formal statement read, "As made clear in a joint statement of Israel and Ukraine published last week, the prime minister and president advised against going to Uman because of the virus situation, but noted and emphasized that it is [the responsibility of] those who decide to go to Uman to keep to health guidelines." In other words, there was no official ban, just a strong warning.
Netanyahu’s quick denial came in response to a statement made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the day that he would accede to Netanyahu’s alleged request and restrict the number of Jews allowed to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov on the Jewish New Year on Sept. 18-20. Today, the Ukrainian president issued a total ban on citizens of “red zone” states from entering the country for 30 days to avoid a rise in coronavirus infections. Israel is considered a “red zone” state.
Pilgrimage to Uman has increased over the years, with as many as 30,000 people gathering there last year for the Jewish New Year for a celebration around the rabbi’s tomb. Most of them are Israelis, but not only. More so, many traditional and even secular Israelis have taken up this custom. Still, the Ukrainian travel ban infuriated mostly the ultra-Orthodox leadership. In fact, for several weeks now, ultra-Orthodox society has been seething over coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu’s insistence against flying to Ukraine.
On Aug. 22, Gamzu repeated his warnings that a large gathering in the town of Uman could lead to a major outbreak of the virus. Gamzu told Israel’s N12 News, “[Pilgrimage to] Uman is not one of the Tishrei holidays and it is not a sacred thing. It is a celebration or a party and should not be done. It can bring us closer to a lockdown. … This is a risk to lives in Israel." Responses were fast in coming. “It is a slap in the face to tens of thousands of Breslov followers,” declared ultra-Orthodox Minister of Housing Yaakov Litzman.
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