The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged Jewish pilgrims to avoid traveling to the city of Uman for Rosh Hashanah this year due to the war with Russia.
“Russia’s ongoing full-scale military aggression against Ukraine poses real threats to people’s lives and safety,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the conflict “makes it impossible to guarantee the safety of foreign citizens on the territory of Ukraine.”
Kyiv noted there is a “regime of martial law which provides for a number of additional regulations, including restrictions on freedom of movement, a curfew and enhanced patrols, a ban on holding mass events and gatherings, as well as the application of coercive measures against persons who will not comply with the established restrictions.”
On Tuesday, the governor of the region where Uman is situated issued a similar warning to Jewish worshippers ahead of Rosh Hashanah.
In his statement, Cherkasy Region head Igor Taburets did not say that the pilgrims would be prevented from coming. Preparations are underway to accommodate those who still intend to visit, with enhanced security measures and the establishment of an operational headquarters, he added. Ukrainian officials have issued similar warnings since 2020, first due to COVID-19 and later because of the war.
Moldovan officials last week said they would not allow pilgrims to pass through their country, whose Chisinau airport last year had served as the main entry point to Ukraine for about 20,000 pilgrims, mostly from Israel. The Moldovan officials cited financial expenditures on security and the limited capacity of their facilities.
Uman, a city in central Ukraine, receives tens of thousands of Jews each year, who travel there to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, an 18th-century luminary who founded the Breslov Chassidic movement.
Commercial flights to Ukraine have been largely unavailable since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, complicating the pilgrimage.
This year, an alternative route into Uman is being prepared through Romania.
Ukrainian officials imposed an entry ban on pilgrims in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month spoke about preparations for the pilgrimage.
The United States issued a travel warning for Uman on Wednesday, urging American citizens not to visit the city due to the tense security situation.
