Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews gathered in the Ukrainian city of Uman for their annual pilgrimage, officials said on Sunday, although authorities urged them to cancel the trip because of the war.
Every year Hasidic Jewish pilgrims from around the world come to Uman to visit the tomb of one of the main figures of Hasidic Judaism for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
The central Ukrainian city of Uman is relatively far from the frontline, but Ukrainian and Israeli authorities urged believers to skip celebrations between September 25 and 27 this year.
But despite the warnings, crowds of Hasidim in traditional black dress gathered in Uman and celebrated in the streets.
“This is the most important day of the year to connect with God. And this is a great place to do that,” one pilgrim, Aaron Allen, told AFP.
Pilgrims often cite a religious text by Rabbi Nachman, the founder of an ultra-Orthodox movement who died in the city in 1810, in which he promised to “save (worshippers) from Hell” if they came to visit his grave on Rosh Hashanah to visit .
“There were sirens, but being from Israel we are used to sirens, we know what to do. We feel pretty safe,” said Allen, a 48-year-old doctor from Yad Binyamin.
The police set up a wide perimeter to enter the area around the tomb, checking IDs and only allowing residents and Hasidim through.
It is forbidden to sell not only alcohol, firecrackers and firecrackers but even toy guns during the celebrations in Uman, regional police spokeswoman Zoya Vovk told AFP.
A curfew between 23:00 (20 GMT) and 05:00 also applies.
Despite the restrictions, the shrine that houses the tomb was packed with celebrations on Sunday.
Pilgrims – men and boys only – prayed, pressed against the white walls and pillars of the tomb.
Outside the temple, a simultaneous prayer rang out from hundreds of pilgrims.
For fear of attacks from Russia, the police will only announce the exact number of pilgrims at the end of the celebrations.
“We understand that there is a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and that the enemy is monitoring information,” Zoya Vovk told AFP.
“The only thing I can say is that tens of thousands (of pilgrims have already arrived),” she added, however.
The NGO United Jewish Community of Ukraine said more than 23,000 pilgrims had arrived in Uman.
Uman in central Ukraine has been hit by Russian attacks several times since the invasion began on February 24.
