More than 1,000 Jewish pilgrims who concentrated for several days along the border with Ukraine lost hope in the country on Friday after being rejected due to restrictions on coronaviruses.
Orthodox Jewish believers, adding many children, camped this week in no man’s land between the ukrainian and Belarusian border crossings before the Jewish New Year celebrations this weekend.
Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews to the central Ukrainian city of Ouman every Jewish new year to make a stop at the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov Hasysidic movement.
At least 1,000 Orthodox Jewish believers camped this week in no man’s land between the border crossings of Ukraine and Belarus. Jewish New Year Celebrations Photo: TUT. BY / –
The confrontation between the pilgrims and Ukraine’s armed security has caused tensions at the Novi Yarylovychi border crossing and sparked a diplomatic dispute between Minsk and Kiev.
Ukrainian border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko told AFP friday that most pilgrims had returned to Belarus and that “some pilgrims” hoping to enter Ukraine had stayed at the crossing point.
Belarus, who said earlier that pilgrims can make a stopover at sacred sites in Ukraine, showed that less than a dozen people were looking to cross.
The representative of the Belarusian Borders Committee, Anton Bychkovskiy, said that pilgrims “left the border en masse” and traveled to the nearest one by bus and taxi.
Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews to the central Ukrainian city of Ouman every Jewish new year to make a stop at the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov Hasysidic movement. Photo: TUT. BY / –
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wanted Jews to have a satisfied new year and claimed that the country had been “forced to restrict mass events” for security reasons.
The believers, basically Israelis, but also Americans and French, went to Ouman this year even though the governments of Ukraine and Israel suggested to them last month not to do so because of the pandemic.
An Israeli minister on Thursday asked those camping on the border to return home and respect quarantine regulations upon arrival in Israel.
Kiev closed its borders at most in September, resulting in an increasing number of coronavirus infections, but pilgrims tried to circumvent restrictions by traveling through Belarus Photo: TUT. BY / –
Kiev closed its borders no more in September, resulting in an increasing number of coronavirus infections, but pilgrims tried to circumvent restrictions by traveling through Belarus.
Ukrainian border guards said Friday that they had arrested several pilgrims, adding Israeli and U. S. citizens, who had to enter the country illegally from Hungary, Poland and Romania.
Kiev has reported more than 169,000 cases of coronavirus and 3468 deaths. On Thursday, authorities recorded a record increase in infections in one day.
The impasse on the border has disturbed the strained ties between Kiev and Minsk, which swapped beards for the contested presidential elections in Belarus last month.
A Belarusian strong man, Alexander Lukashenko, had previously asked officials to negotiate a hall with Ukraine and showed up to supply buses to send devout believers to the holy sites of Ukraine.
Kiev, in turn, accused the Belarusian government of giving false hope to The Hasidic pilgrims that they would be allowed to go to Ulaanman.
Ukraine and Israel are willing to increase coronavirus infections.
Israel imposed a momentary national blockade friday to address one of the world’s highest rates of coronavirus infection, despite public outings over the new blow to the economy.
The three-week closing begins a few hours before Rosh Hashaná, the Jewish New Year.
Meanwhile, up to 3,000 Hasidic Jews arrived in Ulaanch for celebrations in Ukraine before the ban, police said.
Security forces reinforced security near Rabbi Nachman’s grave, where pilgrims gathered.