Yisrael Kakon from the ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak has traveled to the Ukrainian city of Uman on the Jewish New Year ever since he was seven years old. “The first time the authorities allowed trips to Uman was in 1988, when I went with my father. Since then I haven’t missed a year,” Kakon, 39, told Al-Monitor. “I won’t give up, no matter how much my plane ticket will cost. Some years I paid $1,800 for a ticket that should have cost only $300. But this year I don’t know what to do. The Ukrainians are closing the entire compound. I hope and pray that at the last minute, some kind of agreement will be reached.”
Every year, tens of thousands of Jews from all over the world visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who lived in Uman until his death in 1810. This pilgrimage has continued for more than 200 years, except for short gaps mainly during wartime or when transportation was especially difficult. In 1988, a group of Nachman’s followers traveled to the grave in Uman and began to rehabilitate the site. Since then, the number of Jewish pilgrims has risen; last year 40,000 Jews made the trip from Israel, turning the event into “the largest prayer group in the world.”