Rosh Hashanah 2023: why Hasidim are not afraid and who should clean up their garbage

"Do you come here every year?"

"No, this is the first time. We used to be on the front line. I would  rather be at the front than to play with Hasidim here."

This is how a policeman responds to an informal question from a bewildered young journalist who has come to Uman for the first time. She, an intern, was sent here by the editorial office to do a story about the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

We stand together and wait for two free policemen to accompany us down Turystiv Street, which the locals still call by its old name, Pushkina Street. No one has changed the signs with the old name on the houses, although the street was renamed in August 2022.

"Forbidden fruit is the sweetest"

Journalists are not allowed here without a police escort. According to law enforcement officials, there may be various unforeseen situations, as there are strict restrictions on women in the Hasidic culture and religion. Hasidic men are forbidden to pray and celebrate with women.

Some pilgrims come here with their families. But their wives do not appear on the street during Shabbat, when the main celebration lasts from Friday evening to Sunday evening.

Although before sunset on Friday, most pilgrims are still happy to talk to journalists, regardless of gender. And even those who do not know any language other than Hebrew come up and try to tell us something about the great joy of being here in Uman on Rosh Hashanah.

"No, no, we're not afraid!" is the traditional response of the Hasidim to the question of whether they were afraid to come here because of the war in Ukraine and regular missile attacks.

They explain this calmness by the belief that they are protected from potential threats by a shrine — the grave of Tzadik Nachman, the founder of Breslov Hasidism. More than 200 years ago, before his death, he moved to Uman to honor the memory of the Jews who died as a result of the Koliyivshchyna rebellion.

Pilgrims' exposure to living in wartime conditions constitutes a second explanation for their fearlessness. After all, most of those who come here are from Israel, which has been at war with the Palestinians for many years.

This time, however, many Hasidic pilgrims from the United States, who traditionally come to Uman in their thousands, did not visit the city, local Hasidic businessman Haim Hazin told us. He says that they are still afraid of war-related threats, so only the most desperate dared to go.

At the same time, we met a lot of pilgrims who came here for the first time.

"Forbidden fruit is the sweetest," Hazin explains this phenomenon with a smile.

Among those who are here for the first time is Yedzi Holstein, an American from New York. He says that he is not a Breslov Hasid, but as a Jew he also celebrates Rosh Hashanah. His Hasidic stepson has been coming here for 12 years in a row, so he convinced him to come along and experience this incredible holiday atmosphere.

"The media portray Ukraine as perhaps the most terrifying place on earth. But it's very safe here, as far as the road from the border to Uman is concerned," the American explains his lack of fear.

Yedzi is aware of the fact that Russian missiles flew into Uman in June and April (23 people were killed when a residential building was hit on April 28). However, he calmly argues that this did not happen on the street where Tzadik Nachman is buried and the main pilgrimage takes place.

"It did not happen very close to this street. And we have no fear when it comes to doing what is important to us. I am here with thousands of Jews, and there is no fear," the American adds.

"This is the first time in four years that there are so many pilgrims"

No one knows exactly how many pilgrims came to the celebration. After all, the official authorities provided statistics on those who crossed the border in recent days (as of the morning of September 15, it was more than 32,000 people). But many Hasidim arrive several weeks before the celebration. In addition, many pilgrims in Uman are those who live in Ukraine permanently.

Haim Hazin estimates that up to 50,000 Hasidim arrived in Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

"This is the first time that there have been so many in the last four years!" says Haim with emotional excitement.

In 2020, a few weeks before Rosh Hashanah, the Ukrainian authorities imposed a total ban on foreigners entering Ukraine due to the coronavirus. The following year, the border was opened, but many quarantine restrictions remained. Last year, the war deterred some pilgrims, but the total number of pilgrims was up to 20,000.

The hotel owned by Haim has no vacancies. A bed in his double room costs $1,000 for five days. This amount includes three meals a day.

Haim shows a cot that he has just bought to serve as a third bed in the small room. According to him, the men who booked one of the rooms came in three and agreed to pay another $1,000 if a bed was delivered to the room.

How much money do pilgrims bring and why is the city drowning in garbage?

Every pilgrim has to pay a tourist tax to the Uman budget. This is $27 if the payment is made in advance online, or $40 if the person pays on arrival, on the spot. Given the number of pilgrims, this is at least a million dollars to the city budget.

"This money, in particular, should be used for cleaning," says Haim, recalling how often some Ukrainians complain that Hasidim litter a lot.

He adds that after any public event or celebration, there is a lot of garbage, regardless of the nationality of those celebrating. Haim adds that there is a critical lack of trash bins on Turystiv Street.

"Can't the money collected from the Hasidim be used to put a trash can at every turn?" he asks rhetorically.

In response to accusations that Hasidim also litter on the buses they use to get to Uman (a video of a littered bus after transporting pilgrims recently went viral on Ukrainian social media), Haim replies that the journey was very long, so there was a lot of garbage. In addition, he says, pilgrims pay a lot for such transfers, so there is no problem to clean the bus for that kind of money.

During Rosh Hashanah, for local taxi drivers, garbage is the last thing on their minds. Their main goal is to make as much money as possible during these few days. They are on duty near the so-called checkpoint on Turystiv Street, from where they take pilgrims to the shops.

The fare to the nearest supermarket and back is $10. A car for an hour in Uman costs $15. Taxi drivers are happiest when pilgrims order a long excursion trip to other regions where there are also holy places for Jews.

"We are at war. We could do without music"

Some Hasidim go to the shops not only for food, but also for alcohol. It is forbidden to sell it on the streets near the pilgrimage site. And at the entrance to Turystiv Street, the police check the belongings of each pilgrim.

"It's good, because now there are not so many drunken people," says a local guard who is on duty at the giant tent where Hasidim pray and sing during the day and dance in the evening.

"However, their behavior remains problematic. They were unable to patiently wait for entry yesterday and instead rushed the gate in order to commence their dances," the man says.

Generally speaking, the local security guard does not like the atmosphere of the holiday. He says that there is a war in Ukraine, and they are dancing: "You could at least do without this cheerful music."

Haim Hazin explains that throughout the celebration, the pilgrims are constantly praying for peace in Ukraine. For the second year in a row, a huge banner in the colors of the Ukrainian flag with the inscription "We pray for peace in Ukraine" hangs at the entrance to the building that houses Tzadik Nachman's grave.