Jewish pilgrimage site in Ukraine prepares for Rosh Hashanah, debunking rumours of cancellation

The Ukrainian city of Uman prepares to welcome over 45,000 Jewish pilgrims for the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday in spite of rumours circulating about the event's cancellation.

Anastasia Baryshnikova, PR Director of a local charity involved in organizing the Hasidic pilgrimage to Rabbi Nachman’s grave in the city, rebuked any reports claiming otherwise, Caliber.Az reports citing Ukrainian media.

Baryshnikova strongly refuted claims circulating in some outlets that the Uman celebrations had allegedly been banned by authorities.

Uman, located south of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, is the burial site of Nachman of Breslov, the founder of the Breslov Hasidic sect and great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism. Pilgrims flock to the small city to recite specific passages from the Book of Psalms at his graveside during Rosh Hashanah, a tradition that has continued since Nachman’s death in 1810.

This year, Hasidic Jews will begin celebrating Rosh Hashanah on the evening of September 22 and continue until the evening of September 24, marking the start of the year 5786 in the Hebrew calendar.

By Nazrin Sadigova