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Ukraine Urges Jewish Visitors to Forgo Traditional Rosh Hashanah Pilgrimage to Uman Due to War
Hasidic Jews are seen praying at the synagogue in Uman, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters/Teun Voeten
Ukraine on Thursday warned Hasidic Jews to forgo this year’s annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the revered founder of the Breslover Hasidim, in the city of 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.
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 early next month.
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 are preparing for the pilgrimage with enhanced security measures, according to Taburets.
An Israeli diplomat told The Times of Israel that the number of worshipers this year could reach a record 50,000.
Since 2020, Ukrainian officials have warned against making the pilgrimage, first due to COVID-19 and then because of the war. The pilgrimage became more complicated when many commercial flights to Ukraine were suspended following Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022.
Last week, 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 is being prepared through Romania.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly spoke about preparations for the pilgrimage last month.
The United States on Wednesday 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 Ukraine Urges Jewish Visitors to Forgo Traditional Rosh Hashanah Pilgrimage to Uman Due to War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Receives Shipment of Heavy Bombs Cleared by Trump

US President Donald Trump looks on as he signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, Jan. 31, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Israel has received a shipment of heavy MK-84 bombs from the United States, after US President Donald Trump lifted a block imposed on the export of the munitions by the administration of predecessor Joe Biden, the defense ministry said on Sunday.
The MK-84 is an unguided 2,000 pound bomb, which can rip through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius.
The Biden administration declined to clear them for export to Israel out of concern about the impact on densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip.
The Biden administration sent thousands of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas terrorists from Gaza but later held up one of the shipments. The hold was lifted by Trump last month.
“The munitions shipment that arrived in Israel tonight, released by the Trump Administration, represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the IDF and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said late on Saturday.
The shipment arrived after days of concern about whether a fragile ceasefire in Gaza agreed last month would hold, after both sides accused each other of violating the terms of the deal to halt fighting to allow the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.
Washington has announced assistance for Israel worth billions of dollars since the war began.
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US Mideast Envoy Says Phase Two Gaza Talks to Continue This Week

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate Steve Witkoff gives a speech at the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of Trump’s second presidential term, in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that talks on phase two of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian terrorists Hamas would continue this week “at a location to be determined” to figure out how to reach a successful conclusion.
He told Fox News that he had “very productive and constructive” calls on Sunday with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt’s director of intelligence.
Witkoff said they spoke about “the sequencing of phase two, setting forth positions on both sides, so we can understand… where we are today, and then continuing talks this week at a location to be determined so that we can figure out how we get to the end of phase two successfully.”
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Arab States to Reveal 5-Year Plan to Rebuild Gaza: No Hamas or Relocation

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the Arab summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 31, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Hamad l Mohammed/File Photo.
i24 News – Arab countries will unveil their plan for the reconstruction of Gaza on February 27 in Cairo. This initiative, developed by the Palestinians and handed over to the Egyptians for implementation, will be presented to the leaders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The plan provides for reconstruction over three to five years, without the displacement of the Palestinian population and without Hamas control. The funding, estimated at several hundred million dollars, will come from Gulf countries. The work will be carried out by Egyptian companies, representing a significant source of income for Egypt, which is strongly opposed to any migration of Palestinians out of Gaza. The workforce will consist mainly of local Palestinians.
“The goal is to marginalize Hamas so that it understands that it has lost control of Gaza, and to completely eliminate the terrorist organization’s grip on the population and the territory within 5 years from the start of reconstruction,” a source involved in the plan said.
An independent “Palestinian administration,” separate from the Palestinian Authority but relying on it, will oversee the reconstruction. This power structure is designed to get the approval of Israel and the United States, who refuse direct management by the Palestinian Authority.
Arab countries fear a resurgence of fighting by Israel, which could, in their view, favor US President Donald Trump’s plan to move Palestinians to neighboring countries. The former US president said he wanted to see Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab countries welcome more displaced people from Gaza, so that the war-torn area can be “cleaned up.”
According to analyzed satellite images, approximately 65% of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed during the war. Experts estimate that reconstruction could take more than a decade and cost several hundred billion dollars.
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