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30,000 Jewish Visitors to Make Rosh Hashanah Pilgrimage to Ukraine, Fewer Than Expected Due to Mideast Conflict
Hasidic Jews are seen praying at the synagogue in Uman, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters/Teun Voeten
Some 30,000 Hasidic Jews will reportedly go on this year’s annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to the Ukrainian city of Uman to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the revered founder of the Breslover Hasidim.
An Israeli diplomat had told The Times of Israel that the number of worshipers this year could reach a record 50,000. However, due to flight cancellations caused by escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist organization in Lebanon, thousands of pilgrims will not be able to make the trip, according to the Ukrainian News Agency.
Citing the United Jewish Community of Ukraine and the Historical and Cultural Center of Uman charitable foundation, the news agency reported on the lower-than-expected attendance.
“This year, due to the escalation in the north of Israel, a number of airlines canceled the flights that the Hasidic pilgrims were supposed to use to reach European countries in order to get to Ukraine,” the charitable foundation said in a message. “Although the interested parties are looking for a way out of this situation, a significant part of the thousands of pilgrims who want to get to Uman will not be able to do so.”
Each year, tens of thousands of Jewish pilgrims visit Uman, a major pilgrimage site for Hasidic Jews to pray at Nachman’s tomb on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which will take place next week.
Up to 500 Hasidim had already arrived in Uman as of last week, with a mass arrival of pilgrims expected in the coming days, according to the State Migration Service of Ukraine.
Since 2020, Ukrainian officials have warned against making the pilgrimage, first due to COVID-19 and then because of the war with Russia. The pilgrimage became more complicated when many commercial flights to Ukraine were suspended following Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022.
Earlier this month, Ukraine warned Hasidic Jews to forgo this year’s pilgrimage to Uman due to the war with Russia.
“Russia’s ongoing full-scale military aggression against Ukraine poses real threats to people’s lives and safety, [making] it impossible to guarantee the safety of foreign citizens on the territory of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Kyiv added that there is a “legal 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.”
Therefore, the ministry wrote, Ukraine “urges Hasidic pilgrims to refrain from this year’s pilgrimage to Uman as part of the celebration of Rosh Hashanah.”
The statement went on to say that due to the war, there are not enough bomb shelters or medical personnel in Uman, and the transportation infrastructure has been compromised due to shelling.
The foreign ministry’s warning came two days after the governor of the region where Uman is located issued a similar statement to Jewish worshipers ahead of Rosh Hashanah. Like the ministry, Cherkasy Region head Igor Taburets did not say that the pilgrims would be prevented from coming but asked them not to make the trip.
Nonetheless, local authorities were preparing for the pilgrimage with enhanced security measures, according to Taburets.
Earlier this month, Moldova said it would not allow pilgrims to pass through the country on the way to Uman, citing security costs and the limited capacity of their facilities. Some 20,000 pilgrims used Chisinau airport last year to get to Ukraine.
An alternative route into Uman has been prepared through Romania.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about preparations for the pilgrimage last month.
The United States recently issued a travel warning for Uman, urging American citizens not to visit the city due to the security situation.
Uman has been targeted by Russian forces on several occasions during the ongoing war. Last April, at least 20 people, including three children, were killed during a missile and drone barrage launched by the Russians.
Located in the south of Ukraine in the Cherkasy region, Uman was once home to a thriving Jewish community. In 1941, however, the Nazis deported the city’s entire Jewish community, murdering 17,000 Jews and destroying the local Jewish cemetery — including Nachman’s grave, which was later recovered and relocated.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, several Jewish Orthodox families have moved to Uman.
Last year, more than 35,000 worshipers celebrated Rosh Hashanah at the grave of Nachman, despite Ukrainian authorities issuing similar warnings as they are now about visiting the city amid war with Russia.
The post 30,000 Jewish Visitors to Make Rosh Hashanah Pilgrimage to Ukraine, Fewer Than Expected Due to Mideast Conflict first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US State Department Revokes Visas of UK Punk Rap Act Bob Vylan Amid Outrage Over Duo’s Chants of ‘Death to the IDF’
Bob Vylan music duo performance at Glastonbury Festival (Source: FLIKR)
The US State Department has revoked the visas for the English punk rap duo Bob Vylan amid ongoing outrage over their weekend performance at the Glastonbury Festival, in which the pair chanted “Death to the IDF.”
The State Department’s decision to cancel their visas would preclude a planned fall concert tour of the US by the British rappers.
“The [US State Department] has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X/Twitter on Monday.
During a June 28 set at Glastonbury Festival, Bob Vylan’s Pascal Robinson-Foster ignited a firestorm by leading the crowd in chants of “Death, death, to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces. He also complained about working for a “f—ing Zionist” during the set.
The video of the performance went viral, sparking outrage across the globe.
The BBC, which streamed the performance live, issued an on‑screen warning but continued its broadcast, prompting criticism by government officials for failing to cut the feed.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and festival organizers condemned the IDF chant as hate speech and incitement to violence. The Israeli Embassy in London denounced the language as “inflammatory and hateful.”
“Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC’s output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive,” the BBC said in a statement following the event.
“These abhorrent chants, which included calls for the death of members of the Israeli Defense Forces … have no place in any civil society,” Leo Terrell, Chair of the US Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, declared Sunday in a statement posted on X.
Citing the act’s US tour plans, Terrell said his task force would be “reaching out to the U.S. Department of State on Monday to determine what measures are available to address the situation and to prevent the promotion of violent antisemitic rhetoric in the United States.”
British authorities, meanwhile, have launched a formal investigation into Bob Vylan’s controversial appearance at Glastonbury. Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they are reviewing footage and working with the Crown Prosecution Service to determine whether the performance constitutes a hate crime or incitement to violence.
United Talent Agency (UTA), one of the premier entertainment talent agencies, dropped the duo, claming “antisemitic sentiments expressed by the group were utterly unacceptable.”
The band defended their performance on social media as necessary protest, stating that “teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place.”
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Dem House Leader Hakeem Jeffries Urges Mamdani to ‘Aggressively Address’ Antisemitism in NYC if Elected Mayor
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
US House Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY) urged Democratic nominee for mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani to “aggressively address the rise in antisemitism” if he wins the general election in November.
“‘Globalizing the intifada’ by way of example is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. “He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward.”
“With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development,” he added.
Jeffries’s comments come as Mamdani has been receiving an onslaught of criticism for defending the controversial phrase “globalize the intifada.”
Mamdani first defended the phrase during an appearance on the popular Bulwark Podcast. The progressive firebrand stated that he feels “less comfortable with the banning of certain words.” He invoked the US Holocaust Museum in his defense, saying that the museum used the word intifada “when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it’s a word that means ‘struggle.’”
The Holocaust Museum repudiated Mamdani in a statement, calling his comments “offensive.”
Mamdani has continued to defend the slogan despite ongoing criticism, arguing that pro-Palestine advocates perceive it as a call for “universal human rights.”
Mamdani, the 33‑year‑old state assembly member and proud democratic socialist, defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other candidates in a lopsided first‑round win in the city’s Democratic primary for mayor, notching approximately 43.5 percent of first‑choice votes compared to Cuomo’s 36.4 percent.
The election results have alarmed members of the local Jewish community, who expressed deep concern over his past criticism of Israel and defense of antisemitic rhetoric.
“Mamdani’s election is the greatest existential threat to a metropolitan Jewish population since the election of the notorious antisemite Karl Lueger in Vienna,” Rabbi Marc Schneier, one of the most prominent Jewish leaders in New York City, said in a statement. “Jewish leaders must come together as a united force to prevent a mass Jewish Exodus from New York City.”
Some key Democratic leaders in New York, such as US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul, have congratulated and complimented Mamdani, but have not yet issued an explicit endorsement. Each official has signaled interest in meeting with Mamdani prior to making a decision on a formal endorsement.
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Israel Eyes Ties With Syria and Lebanon After Iran War
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attends a press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (not pictured) in Berlin, Germany, June 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
Israel is interested in establishing formal diplomatic relations with long-standing adversaries Syria and Lebanon, but the status of the Golan Heights is non-negotiable, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday.
Israeli leaders argue that with its rival Iran weakened by this month’s 12-day war, other countries in the region have an opportunity to forge ties with Israel.
The Middle East has been upended by nearly two years of war in Gaza, during which Israel also carried out airstrikes and ground operations in Lebanon targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah, and by the overthrow of former Syrian leader and Iran ally Bashar al-Assad.
In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco became the first Arab states to establish ties with Israel since Jordan in 1994 and Egypt in 1979. The normalization agreements with Israel were deeply unpopular in the Arab world.
“We have an interest in adding countries such as Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors, to the circle of peace and normalization, while safeguarding Israel‘s essential and security interests,” Saar said at a press conference in Jerusalem.
“The Golan will remain part of the State of Israel,” he said.
Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 after capturing the territory from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War. While much of the international community regards the Golan as occupied Syrian land, US President Donald Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over it during his first term in office.
Following Assad’s ousting, Israeli forces moved further into Syrian territory.
A senior Syrian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Syria would never give up the Golan Heights, describing it as an integral part of Syrian territory.
The official also said that normalization efforts with Israel must be part of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and not carried out through a separate track.
A spokesperson for Syria‘s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The 2002 initiative proposed Arab normalization with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from territories including the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and Gaza. It also called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Throughout the war in Gaza, regional power Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said that establishing ties with Israel was conditional on the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Israel‘s Saar said it was “not constructive” for other states to condition normalization on Palestinian statehood.
“Our view is that a Palestinian state will threaten the security of the State of Israel,” he said.
In May, Reuters reported that Israel and Syria‘s new Islamist rulers had established direct contact and held face-to-face meetings aimed at de-escalating tensions and preventing renewed conflict along their shared border.
The same month, US President Donald Trump announced the US would lift sanctions on Syria and met Syria‘s new president, urging him to normalize ties with Israel.
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