In the Cherkasy region there is a small town called Uman. He is known, among other things, for his extremely beautiful park Sofiyivka. In addition, Uman once a year turns into a kind of Mecca for the followers of one of the movements of Hasidism, which flock here by thousands from all over the world. So why do the Hasidim go to Uman and what do they do there? We will talk about this in this article.
Who is going to Uman?
Hasidism is one of the trends in Judaism. It is right in its orientation and is close to the orthodox movement, while preserving its originality, which often leads to confrontation with other Jewish religious organizations. It should be noted that far from all the followers of Hasidism, which are also heterogeneous within themselves, come to Uman. Hasidim of Uman are the so-called Bratslav Hasidim. This is the name of their current within the general religious movement. The name does not mean at all that all his followers live in Bratslav - they can be found in various countries on all continents. But it was from Bratslav that their founder, Rabbi Nachman, was born. And his person is the key to the question of why the Hasidim go to Uman. The fact is that his grave is located in this city. And every faithful follower of this branch of Judaism considers it his duty at least once in his life to come to his grave to celebrate the Jewish New Year there. According to the beliefs of believers, this journey is the key to the highest blessing, as well as good luck, happiness and prosperity for the next year. Moreover, to take part in this pilgrimage is considered not only a holy and pious deed, but also obligatory for the believer. That is why the Hasidim go to Uman to celebrate their New Year. Not visiting this place at least once in your life is considered a sin. But in fact, many wealthy Hasidim travel to Uman much more often. Some even take this trip every year. This mainly depends on the financial capabilities of the person. Those Jews, who cannot afford a trip at their own expense, turn to special charitable Jewish structures for help. For example, in Israel there are a number of such organizations. They pay the pilgrim for travel, provide food and provide housing in the territory of Uman. The pilgrimage to this city is so massive that in 2010 Ukraine and Israel even signed an agreement on a visa-free regime between them.
Who is tzadik Nachman?
The founder of the Bratslav branch of Hasidism since childhood has been preparing for the career of a rabbi. But he looked at Judaism somewhat unusual. For example, instead of the prescribed prayers, he preferred to retire in the forest or in the field and there for a long time to pray in his own words. At fourteen, he married the daughter of a wealthy Jew. When his father-in-law passed away, he moved to his city and began to preach his ideas there among the local Jews. The inhabitants were imbued with sermons and elected him their teacher, although at that time the young man was not yet twenty years old. Among other things, he urged the Jews to leave jagged prayers in Hebrew and pray from the heart in their native Yiddish. In addition, he argued that communication with the Almighty should not be conscription, but should bring spiritual pleasure and joy. Therefore, he insisted that one should pray with songs, dances and with undisguised joy. All these features were the hallmarks of Bratslav Hasidism. Zadik Nachman visited Jerusalem, where he studied Kabbalah, and then traveled a lot around his native country.
Once he visited Uman and decided that he wanted to be buried here in the Jewish cemetery, where the remains of the victims of the Jewish pogroms rested. He moved here at the end of his life when his wife and two sons died of tuberculosis. He read his last public sermon on the eve of the Jewish New Year, in which, among other things, he bequeathed his follower to come to his grave after his death. A month later, he died and was buried in the Jewish cemetery of Uman, according to his will. Since then, pilgrims try to visit his grave annually, fulfilling the covenant of their teacher.
The composition of the pilgrims
First of all, it must be said that almost all the Hasidim of Uman are males. Women rarely take part in this annual journey. This is due primarily to religious traditions, because of which the Hasidim make a pilgrimage to Uman without their wives. Even the children who the pilgrims take with them on their journey are exclusively boys.
Appearance
As for the appearance, it is quite bizarre and unusual, if you start from the generally accepted European standards. Even among the followers of other Jewish movements, the Hasidim sometimes stand out for their appearance. On their heads they wear intricate fur hats or hats, from under which curly curls hang on their temples, called pays. A white shirt tucked into black trousers hides under an old-fashioned hood or jacket. Hasidic shoes have no laces or plaques. In addition, they try not to wear ties, because the latter resemble in their form a cross that is not very honored in Jewish communities.
Positive value for locals
Many residents of Uman are waiting for the pilgrims to arrive, who make good money on this. Such a strong flow of foreigners leads to an increased demand for housing and other basic and second necessities. As a result, prices soar several times, which allows entrepreneurial locals to earn extra money.
Negative value for locals
Nevertheless, not everything is so simple. Many of the locals have claims that the Hasidim do in Uman, in addition to their religious ceremonies. First of all, the complaints relate to their behavior and manner of treatment of non-Jews characterized by arrogance. This is especially true for visitors from Israel who look wild against the backdrop of their European, American and Australian co-religionists. In addition, during the festival of Hasidim, local residents experience some discomfort. The usual rhythm of life ceases, and the city, as it were, freezes. Many feel quarantined when pilgrims come to Uman. Hasidim really celebrate the New Year, as they say, from the heart. Their creed pays special attention to such things as religious exaltation, joy, emotional tension during prayers and religious practices. Expressive, vivid, dynamic manifestations of religious feelings for Hasidim are a familiar phenomenon that can really impress and even slightly scare a person unfamiliar with them.
Another problem is pollution of the city during the New Year. The bulk of the pilgrims comes from Israel, in which harsh laws apply and considerable fines are levied on those who litter on the street. Ukraine, on the other hand, is completely indifferent to this problem, which is why many visiting guests are not shy about littering where they want. Again, there is often a difference in mentality between American and European Hasidim and the faithful who came from Israel. The latter leave so much dirt on the streets that special services barely have time to clean up the garbage. The Jewish organization that organizes the pilgrimages to Uman even has to hire local workers for garbage collection.
Often there are also episodes of hooligan behavior, which is demonstrated by the Hasidim of Uman. Cases of resistance to the police by arriving pilgrims are known. Why Hasidim in Uman tend to behave this way, it’s hard to say for sure. But regularly one of them has to be deported from the country.
The beginning of the pilgrimage
When do Hasidim come to Uman? The bulk of the pilgrims gather in Uman, as mentioned above, for the Jewish New Year, which is called Rosh Hashana. However, the very first of them come here a week before, in order to manage to rent the best accommodation and prepare for the holiday. As a rule, these are the most affluent representatives of the community, since the cost of housing can reach more than a thousand dollars per day per person. About four to three days before the start of the festivities, the mass pilgrimage begins. Special bus services bring them from the airports of Kiev and Odessa. All of them are taken to one place, located on Chelyuskintsev Street. There, visitors carefully check documents and baggage for the presence of prohibited items and substances. This peculiar distribution point is reliably guarded by the police and special power units of the city. Next, the pilgrims head to Pushkin Street, where they collect together. However, already at the point of arrival, local residents attack the arriving guests with proposals for rental housing, so many visiting Hasidim of Uman go immediately to their apartments.
Pilgrim Accommodation
At the point of arrival, in addition to law enforcement agencies, there are representatives of Jewish structures that organize pilgrimages. They meet visitors, help translate from language to language and keep a record of arrivals. As already mentioned, from the point of arrival, after all the necessary procedures, the pilgrims are sent to Pushkin Street, where all the Jews visiting Uman gather. Hasidic pilgrims find housing here. Basically, they are helped by the locals, kindly renting their own home for pretty decent money. The price of the latter depends on the location, floor, type and living conditions. Apartments in high-rise buildings on Pushkin, Belinsky, Kulik and Sofya Perovskaya streets are most expensively estimated by Hasidim who arrived in Uman. The grave of their saint - Tzadik Nachman, which is located near these streets, is the reason. Rental of private houses in the same area is somewhat cheaper. The cheapest is housing in other, more remote areas. It is infrequently rented by Hasidim who have arrived in Uman. Nachman’s grave, more precisely, its location, does not affect the pricing of rental apartments located above the fifth floor, even if they are located in the immediate vicinity to it. The fact is that during the celebration of the New Year, Jews are forbidden to use all the achievements of civilization, including elevators.
Problems for the Pilgrims
One of the main problems for pilgrims is that the existing route Kiev - Uman or Odessa - Uman is very inconvenient. Indeed, why the Hasidim travel to Uman from these cities by bus, spending more money and time, rather than flying directly to their destination? The answer lies in the simple fact that there is no airport. Not so long ago, at the beginning of the 21st century, they wanted to repair it for taking direct flights from Israel and other countries. But the result of this enterprise was the complete dismantling of the airfield.
Another problem is that there is no well-thought-out accommodation system for pilgrims. The hotel built for this is not able to accommodate everyone, and most of the city guests are forced to rent housing from local residents, which is quite expensive and not always convenient. In addition, the process of finding housing after an exhausting flight, traveling by bus, queuing at the point of arrival and several searches is a rather unpleasant procedure. And if we add to this ignorance of the language and, accordingly, limited opportunities for communication with the local population, it becomes clear how problematic the Hasidic congress is. Nevertheless, pilgrims come to Uman, steadfastly enduring all the hardships. In addition, there are mediators who are trying to solve the existing difficulties and provide pilgrims with everything necessary.
Proposals for the transfer of the tomb of Zadik Nachman
Some people, both among the Hasidim themselves and among the inhabitants of Ukraine, are wondering why the Hasidim come to Uman every year, instead of just moving the tomb of Tzadik Nakhman to Israel. This would make life easier for many adherents of this creed and save them a lot of money. Israel officially took the initiative to transfer the grave in 2008, proposing to move it to Jerusalem. The Israeli side was even ready to leave generous financial compensation if a positive decision was made. However, the project of transferring the burial place of this Jewish saint was never realized. Therefore, the Hasidim continue to flock to Uman every year, and their number, by the way, only grows from year to year. This is due, firstly, to the abolition of the visa regime, and secondly, to the widespread dissemination of Bratslav Hasidism in Jewish circles in recent years.
Children on a pilgrimage
Why Hasidim celebrate New Year in Uman, we found out. But why do some of them take their children there? The fact is that adulthood in Judaism comes much earlier than what is supposed by secular laws. So, at the age of 12, boys are considered full-fledged men and members of the community, and, accordingly, can and should, if possible, visit the grave of Nachman. In addition, taking children and adolescents with them, parents also pursue pedagogical goals. Thus, they instill in them respect for religion, its traditions and reverence for its shrines. In addition, one should not forget that many Hasidim live compactly in communities located in non-Jewish cities and stand out from the general population. This applies, of course, primarily to Western countries, although even in Israel itself other Hasidim stand out from the crowd. Because of this, children can experience some psychological difficulties, therefore it is very useful for them to visit the places of mass gathering of their co-religionists, to feel their community with a community of many thousands, whose foci are glowing all over the world.
What do children do during the pilgrimage? In principle, the same as adults. In addition, during the Rosh Hashanah festival, boys are taught the Torah and religious law.
