Hasidic pilgrims arriving in the Ukrainian city of Uman. Photo: Reuters/Yulii Zozulia

The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Uman has said that she is expecting thousands of Hasidic visitors for the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the revered founder of the Breslover Hasidim, despite the ongoing Russian invasion and diplomatic tensions between the Israeli and Ukrainian governments.

Iryna Pletnyova, Uman’s mayor, told broadcaster Kyiv 24 on Thursday that the war would not phase the pilgrims’ resolve, as they are “used to living” with security threats in Israel.

“[We are told that] more than 30,000 plan to come,” Pletnyova said. “Even last year, the first year of the full-scale invasion, 23,000 tourists came for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. That is, the war does not stop our pilgrims.”

Pletnyova’s comments — made two weeks before the holiday commences — come amid a continuing dispute between the Ukrainian and Israeli governments over a bilateral agreement allowing for visa-free travel.

Ukraine’s ambassador in Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, has repeatedly warned that Hasidic pilgrims will be banned from visiting Uman in response to Israel’s deportation of Ukrainian citizens. According to Korniychuk, Israel has deported around 10 percent of Ukrainian refugees arriving in the country, a move he slammed as a “humiliation.” Israel rejected the criticism, asserting that the envoy’s figures for deportations were “inflated.”

Korniychuk has additionally complained that the pilgrimage swallows valuable resources that a country at war cannot afford.

“If our citizens continue to be mocked, we proceed from the conditions of reciprocity,” the ambassador told the Ukrainian news outlet Glavcom earlier this week. He added: “We are interested in our country being visited by volunteers, military personnel, that is, those who help us. And there are many such people. After all, I have no complaints against Israeli citizens; I have complaints against the Israeli government.”

The two governments have also clashed over the provision of medical insurance to Ukrainian refugees in Israel. Earlier this month, more than 14,000 refugees found themselves without coverage before the Israeli authorities agreed to an extension until the end of the year.

Israeli media outlets reported on Friday that a final decision on whether to permit the pilgrims to travel to Uman would be announced by the Ukrainian government over the weekend.

Located in the south of Ukraine in the Cherkasy region, Uman was once home to a thriving Jewish community that was decimated during the Nazi Holocaust. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, several Orthodox families have moved to the city. In 2021 — a few months before Russia launched its invasion — more than 30,000 Hasidim spent Rosh Hashanah in the city, while last year, more than 23,000 visited despite the fighting, according to the United Jewish Community of Ukraine.

The city has been targeted by Russian forces on several occasions during the course of the invasion. In April, at least 20 people, including three children, were killed during a missile and drone barrage launched by the Russians.