Despite war, thousands of Israeli Hasidim make pilgrimage to Ukraine
Much like the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine won’t stop thousands of Hasidim from reaching the city of Uman and the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov just before the Jewish New Year.
Some 30,000 ultra-Orthodox and traditional Israelis make a pilgrimage to the Ukrainian town of Uman annually, around the Jewish New Year holiday. Many of them are Breslov Hasidim, who are taught from a young age about the importance of gathering around the “marker,” the burial place of their sect’s founder, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810).
Reports this year say that thousands of Breslov Hasidim have already made their way to Ukraine, with thousands more expected to join them, despite the fighting still going on in Ukraine.
