Reports Sept. 18 indicated that some 7,000 to 10,000 Israelis are expected to travel to Ukraine this week, ahead of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, to be celebrated Sept. 26. Other estimates place the number of Israelis expected to arrive to Uman for the New Year as high as 30,000. The Israeli pilgrims are heading for the town of Uman, where Hassidic Rabbi Nachman of Breslov is buried. Over 2,000 Israelis are already in Uman for these annual pilgrimage celebrations.

Israeli authorities had warned several times in recent weeks against traveling to Uman, because of the war in Ukraine. The most recent warning was issued by the Foreign Ministry Sept. 1. While numbers are expected to be much lower compared with some 50,000 Jews arriving to Uman in the years before the war and before the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of Israeli travelers are still avoiding the warnings.

On top of fears in Jerusalem for the safety of Israeli nationals, the issue of Israeli/Jewish pilgrimage to Uman has turned recently into a diplomatic dispute between Kyiv and Moscow.

Already on Aug. 16, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk told Israeli press, "Rosh Hashanah is coming, and no matter what we say, Orthodox Jews will try to get to Uman again. We understand your willingness to go to Uman and favor your support for Ukraine, but this is not the right time. We cannot guarantee your security.”