The subject of Uman, the burial site of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), was one of the topics of conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a call on Wednesday.
It was the first conversation between the two leaders in almost a year.
Netanyahu is under pressure from members of his government coalition to make sure that Israelis can visit Uman in war-torn Ukraine without onerous restrictions. It is a key pilgrimage site for followers of Rabbi Nachman, the founder of the Breslov Chassidic movement.
However, the United States issued a travel warning on Wednesday against American citizens traveling to Uman because of the tense security situation.
“Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Uman has been under numerous Russian missile attacks,” the U.S. embassy in Ukraine stated on its website. “Russian airstrikes have hit civilian buildings and critical infrastructure, including synagogues, often without warning.”
“We strongly recommend against any travel to Ukraine by U.S. citizens, including men aged 18 to 60 who have Ukrainian citizenship or are in the process of obtaining Ukrainian citizenship and do not wish to remain in Ukraine indefinitely,” it said.
Netanyahu and Zelenskyy also discussed the large-scale Russian missile attack against Ukraine over much of the last week, which was largely repelled.
Most recently, on Thursday, as Ukraine held its Day of Remembrance for the country’s fallen, Russia launched a drone strike against Kyiv.
Ukraine’s air defenses shot down more than 10 drones. It was the third wide-scale attack on the Ukrainian capital in four days, the city reported.
Tens of thousands of Israelis visit the small city of Uman, some 130 miles south of Kyiv, annually for the Jewish New Year, which this year begins after sundown on Oct. 2.
