More than 1,000 Hasidic Jewish pilgrims stranded at Ukraine's gates

Jewish pilgrims facing Ukrainian security forces, September 15, 2020. Breslev live / Handout via REUTERS

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Hasidic pilgrims who planned to travel to central Ukraine to take part in celebrations for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, on September 18, are stranded at the Belarusian border.

Ukraine has indeed closed its borders to foreigners to fight a second wave of the coronavirus epidemic.

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With our correspondent in Kiev

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The lucky ones crowd into makeshift tents of the Belarusian Red Cross.

But the majority sleep on the floor, pray by the side of the road and wait for a miracle.

They number around 1,500, many of them men from Israel, accustomed to the annual pilgrimage to the city of Uman, one of the cradles of Hasidism, a conservative branch of Judaism.

Each year, between 30 and 40,000 faithful gather there in a very festive atmosphere.

This September 18, they are only 3,000 to celebrate the New Year.

The Ukrainian and Israeli authorities have stepped up warnings to the Orthodox community, very affected by Covid-19 due to a lack of respect for health recommendations.

Kiev recently expelled two Israeli citizens from Uman who tried to tear down protective barriers at the place of pilgrimage.

Despite the precarious situation of stranded travelers, border guards are highly unlikely to allow them to continue their journey to Ukraine which is experiencing record increases in new cases of coronavirus.

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• Religion

• Coronavirus

• Ukraine

• Belarus