Orthodox Jewish pilgrims dance outside the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov during celebrations marking Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, in Uman, Ukraine, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Oct. 2, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Ukrainian authorities have declared the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov a national heritage site, ahead of the annual pilgrimage that draws thousands of Jewish worshippers to Uman to honor the 18th-century founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced the decision on Wednesday during Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s visit to Kyiv — a move that underscores the strengthening ties between the two nations.

“I want to thank you for recognizing the site in Uman, the resting place of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, as a heritage site,” Saar said during a joint press conference.

“Both Ukraine and Israel are going through difficult times, but our countries are strong, and the friendship between us is steadfast. We will continue to deepen it and support one another,” the top Israeli diplomat said.

“I thank you for your hospitality. I look forward to building a better future for our children. And I invite you and hope to soon host you in Jerusalem, our eternal capital,” he continued.

Uman, a city in central Ukraine, has long been a major pilgrimage destination, drawing tens of thousands of observant Jews — primarily Haredim — who travel to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman, the revered founder of the Breslover Hasidim.

Once home to a thriving Jewish community, Uman saw its residents devastated under Nazi occupation in 1941, with thousands murdered and 17,000 deported.

The local Jewish cemetery was destroyed during this time, including Rabbi Nachman’s grave, which was later recovered and relocated.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, several Orthodox Jewish families have returned to Uman.

Each year, an annual pilgrimage takes place around Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, drawing thousands to the tomb of Rabbi Nachman, who died in 1810. This year’s event is set to occur from Sept. 22 to Sept. 24.

Since 2020, Ukrainian officials have advised against making the pilgrimage — initially due to COVID-19 restrictions and later because of the ongoing war with Russia.

The pilgrimage faced major disruptions after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to the suspension of many commercial flights. Since then, regional tensions in the Middle East — including the war in Gaza in 2023 and escalating conflicts with Iran in 2024 — have further complicated travel.

Last year, approximately 30,000 Israelis traveled to Uman for their annual celebration at the tomb, despite official warnings urging travelers to avoid the area.

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Explosions send smoke into the air in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Israel and the United States both recalled their negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar on Thursday, with US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff saying that Hamas has not been acting in good faith and “clearly shows a lack of desire” to reach a deal despite weeks of mediated discussions with the Palestinian terrorist group.

“While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith,” Witkoff posted on X/Twitter. “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza. It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.”

Witkoff’s statement came as Israeli officials also confirmed pulling its negotiating team from Doha for consultations, accusing Hamas of altering the terms of a potential ceasefire agreement just as talks appeared to be gaining momentum. The announcement also came amid mounting international concern over deteriorating conditions in Gaza, where the UN and multiple aid agencies have warned of a worsening hunger crisis. However, negotiations have stalled over what Israeli officials described as Hamas’s new and unrealistic demands concerning prisoner releases and terms for a permanent ceasefire.

“In light of the response conveyed by Hamas this morning, it has been decided to return the negotiating team for additional consultations in Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “We appreciate the efforts by the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, and the efforts of envoy Witkoff, to achieve a breakthrough in the negotiations.”

Hamas has demanded that Israel release 200 Palestinian terrorists serving life sentences for killing Israelis and another 2,000 Palestinians who were detained in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel, according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid. In exchange, Hamas would turn over 10 living hostages to Israel.

According to Ravid and Israeli journalist Amit Segal, Hamas specifically requested the release of 20 murderers for each living hostage, in addition to the 2,000 detainees.

Hamas’s new demands were part of its response following an earlier ceasefire proposal, accepted by Israel, which included the release of 125 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,200 Palestinians arrested by the Israeli military in Gaza after Oct. 7.

The terrorist group, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, also reportedly demanded that Israeli forces withdraw to smaller areas of territory in the enclave than previously discussed as part of the ceasefire and that UN agencies and international organizations should provide aid to the war-torn area rather than the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In addition, Hamas demanded guarantees that Israel would not resume fighting after the 60-day ceasefire, a condition the Jewish state has opposed.

Hamas is still holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists during the Oct. 7 atrocities that started the ongoing war. The terrorist group, which has not yet commented on the US and Israeli decisions to pull out their negotiating teams, has repeatedly insisted that any ceasefire must lead to a permanent end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel has said all hostages must be freed and Hamas can’t retain control of neighboring Gaza when the fighting stops.

The post US, Israel Recall Negotiators From Gaza Ceasefire Talks, Witkoff Says ‘Selfish’ Hamas Not Showing Good Faith first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

A pro-Hamas activist wears a keffiyeh while marching from the City University of New York to Columbia University. Photo: Eduardo Munoz via Reuters Connect.

Columbia University has agreed to pay over $200 million to settle claims that it exposed Jewish students, faculty, and staff to antisemitic discrimination and harassment — a deal which secures the release of billions of dollars the Trump administration impounded to pressure the institution to address the issue.

“With the agreement, our access to billions of dollars in federal research funding will resume. Terminated grants will be reinstated and our faculty will become eligible again for future grants, as well as continuations of existing grants will be reinstated,” acting Columbia president Claire Shipman said in a statement issued on Wednesday, noting that the university will also pay $21 million to “settle investigations involving the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”

US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon commented on the agreement as well, saying it is a “seismic shift in our nation’s fight to hold institutions that accept American taxpayer dollars accountable for antisemitic discrimination and harassment.”

Claiming a generational achievement for the conservative movement, which has argued for years that progressive bias in higher education is the cause of anti-Zionist antisemitism on college campuses, she added that Columbia has agreed to “discipline student offenders for severe disruptions of campus operations” and “eliminate race preferences from their hiring and mission practicers, and [diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI] programs that distribute benefits and advantages based on race” — which, if true, could mark the opening of a new era in American higher education.

“Columbia’s reforms are a roadmap for elite universities that wish to retain the confidence of the American public by renting their commitment to truth-seeking, merit, and civil debate,” McMahon continued. “I believe they will ripple across the higher education sector and change the course of campus culture for years to come.”

As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the Trump administration canceled $400 million in funding for Columbia University in March.

At the time, it remained one of the most hostile campuses for Jewish and pro-Israel students in the US. Since Oct. 7, 2023, it has produced several indelible examples of campus antisemitism, including a student who proclaimed that Zionist Jews deserve to be murdered and are lucky he is not doing so himself, brutal gang-assaults on Jewish students, and administrative officials who, outraged at the notion that Jews organized to resist anti-Zionism, participated in a group chat in which each member took turns sharing antisemitic tropes that described Jews as privileged and grafting.

Amid these incidents, the university struggled to contain a group which calls itself Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which in late January committed infrastructural sabotage by flooding the toilets of the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) with concrete. Numerous reports indicate the attack may have been the premeditated result of planning sessions which took place many months ago at an event held by Alpha Delta Phi (ADP) — a literary society, according to the Washington Free Beacon. During the event, ADP reportedly distributed literature dedicated to “aspiring revolutionaries” who wish to commit seditious acts. Additionally, a presentation was given in which complete instructions for the exact kind of attack which struck Columbia were shared with students.

Just days before announcing Wednesday’s agreement, Columbia University imposed severe disciplinary sanctions — including degree revocation — on upwards of 70 students who perpetrated an illegal seizure of campus property during the final weeks of the 2024-2025 academic year and refused to surrender it unless school officials acceded to a list of five demands which, among other things, called for a boycott of Israel and divestment from armaments manufacturers.

As reported by the New York Post on Tuesday, a school official told the paper that Columbia on Monday expelled a “handful” of students and suspended “dozens” of others who stormed and occupied Butler Library on May 7, an action which resulted in two Columbia private security officers being assaulted when a crush of students attempted to breach a human barrier they had formed to prevent additional protesters from joining, and thereby strengthening, the demonstration.

Without stating the number of punishments meted out to the students, Columbia confirmed the main contention of the Post’s reporting — while announcing one disciplinary measure, degree revocation, to which it was not privy — on Tuesday in an unsigned statement.

“The sanctions issued on July 21 by the University Judicial Board were determined by a UJB panel of professors and administrators who worked diligently over the summer to offer an outcome for each individual based on the findings of their case and prior disciplinary outcomes,” the university said, stressing that the punishments resulted from a consensus reached by officials representing every level of the university. “While the university does not release individual disciplinary results of any student, the sanctions from Butler Library include probation, suspensions (ranging from one year to three years), degree revocations, and expulsions.”

On Thursday, Asaf Romirowsky, an expert on the Middle East and executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, told The Algemeiner that Columbia, and higher education as a whole, has more to do to reform its campus culture.

“Columbia University finally took some action that may look a bit like justice. However, the real issue is changes to hiring and tenure procedures, and shared governance which give faculty terror supporters a voice, and without that this is mostly optics,” Romirowsky said. “Most fundamentally, the US desperately needs to reevaluate what a university is and what it is for. Five decades of universities striving for relevance has had the effect of politicizing the humanities and social sciences. But as faculties have become politically monolithic, students interested in exploring traditions and themselves have been alienated, causing a feedback loop of shrinking disciplines and intensifying politics.”

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

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