Tens of thousands of Hasidim have already arrived in Ukraine to visit the grave of their spiritual leader in Uman. The largest influx was recorded over the past three days, while the main entry is currently taking place through the borders with Poland, Romania, and Moldova. Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, told a UNN journalist more about the situation at the border.
Details
The pilgrims began arriving back in late August. Currently, according to the spokesperson, the exact total number of Hasidim can be determined only based on border crossings.
The arrival of Hasidic pilgrims in Ukraine began as early as the 20s of August. Every day, either several hundred or several dozen pilgrims were entering, meaning there had been no such massive influx since then. However, the past three days, September 7, 8, and 9, saw the largest number of people enter Ukraine so far. For example, 13,700 Hasidic pilgrims entered Ukraine yesterday, while the total for Monday and Tuesday was 11,600
Overall, since the organized groups began arriving in Ukraine, border guards have recorded the arrival of tens of thousands of pilgrims.
We are referring to organized groups of Hasidic pilgrims in this statistic. If someone is traveling separately, or if we cannot say that they are traveling directly to Uman, then they will not be included in this statistic. Therefore, we can speak only about those groups that we record at the border. Since the 20s of August, more than 31,000 Hasidic pilgrims have already entered Ukraine
At the same time, no extraordinary situations related to the arrival of pilgrims have been recorded at the border so far, although some Hasidim were nevertheless denied entry into Ukraine for various reasons.
Fortunately, there have been no unusual situations related to the entry of Hasidic pilgrims during this period. As citizens of foreign countries, Hasidic pilgrims cross our border in accordance with the legislation governing border crossings by foreigners. If they do not meet certain criteria, they may also be denied permission to cross the border. In total, 13 Hasidic pilgrims were denied entry into Ukraine
The largest influx of pilgrims traditionally occurs in the several days before the start of the celebration of the Jewish New Year, known as Rosh Hashanah. Hasidim come, in particular, to Uman to visit and pay their respects at the grave of their spiritual leader, Tzadik Nachman of Breslov, who was the great-grandson of the founder of Hasidism. Before his death, he bequeathed that he be buried precisely in this place and that his followers come to his grave specifically during the celebration of the Jewish New Year.
The largest influx of Hasidic pilgrims occurs three to four days before the beginning of their New Year. This year, the celebration begins on September 11 and ends on September 13, so, in fact, there will still be such a massive influx today, while starting tomorrow, the entry of Hasidic pilgrims into Ukraine will drop almost to zero
The route most frequently used by pilgrims to enter Ukraine has also changed, and, according to the spokesperson, pilgrims are currently using the Polish and Romanian routes most actively.
Until Monday, September 7, Hasidic pilgrims crossed the border both through the border with Moldova and through the border with European countries, but before Monday, the preference was primarily for the route from Moldova. Since the seventh, there has been a larger influx through European countries, with Poland and Romania being the borders they are choosing most actively. If we are talking about the entire border, 13,000 people per day does not constitute a heavy load on the crossing points
Photographs of long lines of pilgrims at the Polish-Ukrainian border, in particular near the Medyka–Shehyni crossing, have also appeared online, Andriy Demchenko says. At the same time, border guards note that such footage does not always show the real situation along the entire border, as queues may quickly disappear after an organized group has passed through.
If an organized group was brought to the border by bus, got off and joined the queue for the pedestrian crossing, one can take a photo showing that there are huge queues there. But this queue will disappear within a fairly short period of time, and it will no longer be there—until the next bus brings another group of similar Hasidic pilgrims.
This year, Ukraine expects approximately 40,000 pilgrims to arrive; however, a more precise figure can be determined only after the main influx has ended. For now, on the eve of the celebrations, the border continues to receive organized groups.
According to various forecasts, I saw that there would be at least 40,000. If today is as active as yesterday, then, of course, the number of Hasidic pilgrims entering Ukraine will exceed 40,000. We will be able to give the exact number tomorrow.