Hasidic Jews defy travel warnings to Ukraine

Thousands of Hasidic Jews from Israel and other countries are going to Uman, a city in central Ukraine, for a traditional pilgrimage over Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, defying the stern travel warnings issued by the Israeli government and the pleas of Ukrainian officials who had asked them to stay away because of the war.

Fewer people are expected to make the journey than in a normal year when tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews - mostly men but also families - travel to Uman to mark the new year, which begins at sundown on Sunday, with a visit to the grave site of a revered 18th century rabbi, Nachman of Breslav. The number of pilgrims in Israel was likely to rise to 5,000 or more, according to Alon Lavi, a spokesman for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The numbers were estimates only, and it is difficult to determine an exact number because there are no direct flights to Ukraine from Israel and pilgrims are still traveling across the Ukrainian border from neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania and Moldova.