Ukrainians are massively complaining about the behavior of Hasidic pilgrims who came to Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah—the New Year holiday for all those who profess Judaism. People are sharing their impressions of the tourists on social media, reports UNN.
Details
The videos and photos garnering the most views show pilgrims leaving trash behind. Thus, a video from a carriage of "Ukrzaliznytsia" is circulating on social media; according to its author, pilgrims traveled in it. This is an Intercity train.
The footage shows a dirty sink in the restroom and numerous empty food boxes lying on the floor in the vestibule. In addition, the passengers left behind half-empty bottles of beverages (some had spilled onto the floor), dirty tissues on the seats, and snacks scattered across the floor.
Meanwhile, on the Threads social network, a user named Olha Doroshchuk published photographs from Uman itself. They show a great – great deal of household waste, among which pilgrims walk calmly. The few garbage bins and trash cans are overflowing with waste. In addition, the area around them is thickly covered with rubbish.
Ukrainians are also surprised by the behavior of Hasidic pilgrims in public. Many people have already found themselves in unpleasant situations. They say that the pilgrims often speak, laugh, and shout very loudly. And they do not respond to requests to be quieter so as not to frighten, for example, small children in the train carriage.
I was traveling by train to Lviv today, and at 1:30 a.m. about 100 Hasidim boarded our train. They laughed throughout the entire carriage in the middle of the night, threw trash right where they were standing, did not respond at all to remarks, and pretended not to understand what you were telling them. I wonder whether they behave the same way at home?
Context
A record number of Hasidim—52,000—arrived in Uman this year to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. According to Mikhail Zingerman, a representative of the Israeli police press service, the dangerous situation in Ukraine does not deter the pilgrims. On the contrary, many pilgrims believe that a pilgrimage to a country where a war is ongoing will have special significance for their spiritual growth.
These are the peculiarities of their faith
Why Hasidim travel to Uman on pilgrimage every year
Hasidic pilgrims travel to Uman because their spiritual mentor—the tzadik Nachman of Breslov—is buried there. In his will, he promised intercession before God and happiness to everyone who would come to his grave on Rosh Hashanah and pray there.