In the Cherkasy region there is a small town called Uman. It is known, among other things, for its extremely beautiful Sofiyivka park. In addition, once a year Uman turns into a kind of mecca for followers of one of the Hasidic movements, who flock here in thousands from all over the world. So why do 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 currents in Judaism. It is right-wing in its orientation and is close to the orthodox current, while retaining its originality, which often leads to confrontation with other Jewish religious organizations. It should be noted that far from all the followers of Hasidism come to Uman, which is also heterogeneous within itself. The Hasidim of Uman are the so-called Bratslav Hasidim. This is the name of their course within the general religious movement. The name does not mean at all that all his followerslive in Bratslav - they can be found in various countries on all continents. But it is from Bratslav that their founder, Rebbe Nachman, comes from. 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 whole next year. Moreover, to take part in this pilgrimage is considered not only a holy and charitable 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 we althy Hasidim travel to Uman much more often. Some even undertake this journey every year. It mainly depends on the financial capabilities of the person. Those Jews who cannot afford to travel 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 for the pilgrim's travel, provide food and accommodation on 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?
Founder of the Bratslav branch of Hasidism withchildhood prepared for the career of a rabbi. But he looked at Judaism somewhat unusually. For example, instead of the prescribed prayers, he preferred to retire in the forest or in the field and pray there for a long time in his own words. At fourteen he was married to the daughter of a we althy Jew. When his father-in-law died, he moved to his city and began preaching his ideas among the local Jews there. The inhabitants were imbued with sermons and chose him as their teacher, although the young man at that time was not yet twenty years old. Among other things, he urged the Jews to abandon their memorized Hebrew prayers and pray from the heart in their native Yiddish. In addition, he argued that communication with the Almighty should not be a duty, but should bring spiritual pleasure and joy. Therefore, he insisted that one should pray with songs, dances and with undisguised joy. All these features made up the distinctive features of Breslov Hasidism. Tzadik Nachman visited Jerusalem, where he studied Kabbalah, and then traveled extensively around his native country.
One day he visited Uman and decided that he wanted to be buried here, in the Jewish cemetery, where the remains of the victims of Jewish pogroms were buried. 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 followers to come to his grave after his death. A month later, he died and was buried in the Jewish churchyard of Uman, according to his will. Since then, the pilgrims have been tryingto visit his grave every year, fulfilling the precept of his teacher.
Composition of 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 primarily due to religious traditions, because of which the Hasidim make the pilgrimage to Uman without their wives. Even the children that the "pilgrims" take with them on their journey are exclusively boys.
Appearance
As for the appearance, it is quite bizarre and unusual, if we start from generally accepted European norms. Even among followers of other Jewish movements, Hasidim sometimes stand out for their appearance. On their heads they wear intricate fur caps or hats, from under which curling curls hang down at the temples, called sidelocks. An old-fashioned hood or jacket hides a white shirt tucked into black trousers. Hasidic shoes do not have laces or plaques. In addition, they try not to wear ties, because the latter resemble a cross in their shape, which is not very honored in Jewish communities.
Positive value for locals
Many residents of Uman are waiting for the arrival of the pilgrims, who make good money on this. Such a strong flow of foreigners leads to an increased demand for housing and other essential and non-essential goods. As a result, prices soar several times, which allows enterprising locals to make good money.
Negative value for locals
However, not everything is so simple. Many of the locals have complaints about what the Hasidim do in Uman, apart from their religious ceremonies. First of all, the complaints relate to their behavior and the way they treat non-Jews, characterized by arrogance. This is especially true for visitors from Israel, who look wild against the background of their European, American and Australian co-religionists. In addition, during the Hasidic holiday, local residents experience some discomfort. The usual rhythm of life stops, and the city seems to freeze. Many feel like they are in quarantine as pilgrims flock to Uman. The Hasidim really celebrate the New Year, as they say, from the heart. Their creed pays special attention to such things as religious ex altation, joy, emotional stress during prayers and religious practices. Expressive, vivid, dynamic manifestations of religious feelings for Hasidim are a common occurrence that can really impress and even slightly frighten a person who is not familiar with them.
Another problem is the pollution of the city during the New Year celebrations. The bulk of the pilgrims come from Israel, which has harsh laws and hefty fines for those who litter on the street. Ukraine, on the other hand, is distinguished by complete indifference to this problem, so many visiting guests do not hesitate to litter wherever they want. Again, the difference in mentality between American and European Hasidim and believers who came from Israel is often noted here. Latestleave so much dirt on the streets that special services barely have time to clean up the garbage. A Jewish organization that organizes pilgrimages to Uman even has to hire local workers to clean up the rubbish.
Often there are also episodes of hooligan behavior, which is demonstrated by the Hasidim of Uman. There are known cases of resisting the police by the arrived pilgrims. Why the Hasidim in Uman tend to behave this way is hard to say unequivocally. 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 Hashanah. However, the very first of them come here a week before in order to have time to rent the best accommodation and prepare for the holiday. As a rule, these are the we althiest members of the community, since the cost of housing can reach more than a thousand dollars per day per person. Approximately four or three days before the start of the celebrations, a mass arrival of pilgrims begins. Special bus routes bring them from the airports of Kyiv and Odessa. All of them are brought to one place, located on Chelyuskintsev Street. There, visitors are carefully checked documents and luggage for the presence of items and substances prohibited for transportation. This kind of distribution point is reliably guarded by the police and special power units of the city. Next, the pilgrims head to Pushkin Street, where their commoncollection. However, already at the point of arrival, local residents attack arriving guests with offers to rent housing, so many visiting Uman Hasidim go straight to their apartments.
Pilgrim accommodation
At the point of arrival, in addition to law enforcement agencies, there are also representatives of Jewish structures that organize the pilgrimage. 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 go to Pushkin Street, where all the Jews visiting Uman gather. Hasidic pilgrims find accommodation here. Basically, they are helped by local residents, who kindly provide their own housing for rent 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 highly valued by the Hasidim who came to Uman. The tomb of their saint, Tzadik Nachman, which is located near these streets, is the reason for this. It is somewhat cheaper to rent private houses in the same area. The cheapest housing is considered to be in other, more remote areas. It is rarely rented by the Hasidim who came to Uman. Nachman's grave, or rather, its location, does not affect the pricing of renting apartments located above the fifth floor, even if they are located in the immediate vicinity of it. The fact is that during the celebration of the New Year, the Jewsit is forbidden to use all the achievements of civilization, including elevators.
Problems for pilgrims
One of the main problems for pilgrims is that the existing route Kyiv - Uman or Odessa - Uman is very inconvenient. Indeed, why do 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 renovate it to accept 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 purpose is not able to accommodate everyone, and most of the city's guests are forced to rent accommodation from local residents, which turns out to be quite expensive and not always convenient. In addition, the process of finding accommodation after an exhausting flight, bus travel, standing in line 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 hardships. In addition, there are mediators who are trying to solve the existing difficulties and provide the pilgrims with everything they need.
Proposals to move the tomb of the tzadikNachman
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 simply moving the grave of Tzadik Nachman to Israel. This would make life easier for many adherents of this creed and would save them a lot of money. Israel officially took the initiative to move the grave in 2008, offering 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 implemented. 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 spread of Bratslav Hasidism in Jewish circles in recent years.
Children on pilgrimage
Why the Hasidim celebrate the 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 it is supposed to according to secular laws. So, boys at the age of 12 are considered full-fledged men and members of the community, and accordingly, they 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, do not forget that many Hasidim live compactly in communities located in non-Jewish cities and towns.strongly stand out from the general background of the 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 may experience some psychological difficulties, so it is very useful for them to visit places of mass congestion of their co-religionists, to feel their commonality with a community of many thousands, whose hearths are warming all over the world.
What do children do during the pilgrimage? Basically the same as adults. In addition, during Rosh Hashanah, boys are taught Torah and religious law.
Departure from Uman
When do Hasidim leave Uman? Usually right after the holiday. Rosh Hashanah itself lasts two days and, according to the Jewish calendar, falls on the month of Tishrei. In terms of the civil Gregorian calendar, this is the time of September or October. As soon as the holiday ends, believers begin to gather on the road. They are usually gone within two or three days.
