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September 15, 04:45 pm
Hasidim in front of Ukraine’s border guards, September 15 (Photo: Live Breslev / Handout via REUTERS)
On the border of Ukraine and Belarus, in the neutral zone between the Belarusian checkpoint Novaya Guta and the Ukrainian Novye Yarilovichi, according to various estimates, there are from 690 to more than 800 Hasidic pilgrims.
At the end of August, Ukraine again banned foreigners from entering in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. Entry is also forbidden for most Chassidim who strive to celebrate the traditional Rosh Hashanah New Year holiday at Tzadik Nachman’s tomb in Uman.
However, many of them still reached the Belarusian border with Ukraine on September 14 and do not leave the neutral zone between the countries, so the work of the checkpoint is completely blocked.
Meanwhile, the Hasidim are praying, playing traditional musical instruments, and probably still waiting to cross the border in some way. And their number seems to only grow.
According to the head of the State Border Service, Sergei Deyneko, about 4 thousand more Hasidim will arrive at the border in various regions of Ukraine.
NV tells how the situation arose with the Hasidim trapped on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border and what is happening to them now.
Semi-ban on the pilgrimage and its consequences
Ukraine decided to significantly limit the Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman in 2020 on August 25, at the request of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The head of the Israeli Task Force on the coronavirus, Roni Hamzu, has called for a total ban on pilgrimages to Uman this year. Uman Mayor Alexander Tsebriy made a similar appeal.
Since August 28, Ukraine has banned all foreigners, except certain categories of citizens. This prohibition is valid until September 28 and the Rosh Hashanah holiday falls from September 18 to 20.
Despite these restrictions, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that about 3,000 pilgrims will visit Uman in 2020. (before the pandemic, up to 40 thousand pilgrims came to the city each year).
On September 14, four days before Rosh Hashanah, it became clear that there were many more people who wanted to reach Uman. On this day, 1,500 people gathered at the border of Ukraine and Belarus, who tried to reach Ukraine, despite entry restrictions.
Serhiy Deineko, head of the State Border Service of Ukraine, personally went to convince the Hasidim to abandon the idea of the pilgrimage. This did not help: as of the morning of September 15, hundreds of Hasidim continued to try to enter the territory of Ukraine.
According to the video posted by the State Border Service, the Hasidim are loud but not aggressive. They pray, sing songs, play musical instruments, and clap.
In order to prevent pilgrims from entering the territory of Ukraine, border guards, together with the National Guard and the police, installed a barrier 700 meters from the Novye Yarilovichi checkpoint. The border is patrolled by three helicopters, an airplane and drones.
At the same time, traffic through the checkpoint is completely blocked and a long queue of trucks lines up in front of it.
The State Border Service and the president’s website also note that rabbis from Jewish religious organizations provide kosher food and water to arriving Hasidim.
One of the videos posted by the border guards shows how the Hasidim are given water and boxes of food. In response they clap, whistle and shout «Thank you!”.
How many Hasidim are trapped at the border?
The State Border Service reported that as of 7:00 on September 15, there were 690 Hasidim on the border of Ukraine and Belarus.
In Belarus, they said that on September 15, more than 800 pilgrims are in the neutral zone and are still arriving.
According to Belarusian officials, a field camp has already been set up between the borders, the Red Cross will open a temporary help point there and the Belarusian Ministry of Emergency Situations will deploy heated modules and a field kitchen.
The Belarusian state agency BelTA, citing the head of the Gomel Red Cross regional organization Alla Smolyak, reported that there are more than 130 children among the pilgrims in No Man’s Land.
Ukrainian border guards expect about four thousand more Hasidim to reach the border.
«We anticipate the arrival of up to a thousand people to the border line in the Chernihiv region, up to 700 people in the Zhytomyr region and up to 1.5 thousand people in the Volyn region. We expect the arrival of three charters to the city of Minsk, about 600 foreigners, ”Sergei Deineko told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Due to the current situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine approached the Belarusian side with a petition, in which it requests not to make an authorization to leave for Ukraine for people who do not fall into the category of exceptions to the prohibition of entry.
Hasidim on the border with Ukraine – photo
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In 2020, the 5781th Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana will take place. This year, its celebration falls from September 18 to 20.
The celebration of the Jewish New Year in Uman is related to the fact that a tzaddik was buried in the city. (righteous) Nachman, and his tomb is one of the most revered shrines and a place of pilgrimage for representatives of the Bratslav Hasidist tendency.
On Rosh Hashanah night, they begin to celebrate as it is written in the Torah. (Jewish religious law) – massive and loud.
It is on this day, according to Jewish beliefs, that the Almighty inscribes the name and the future future in the Book of Life.
