By:  Abe Wertenheim

The prospect of thousands of Israeli worshippers being barred from entering the Ukrainian city of Uman during the High Holidays loomed larger on Saturday, after senior officials in Kyiv warned of potential restrictions amid deteriorating relations with Jerusalem.

According to a report on Saturday in The Jerusalem Post, the warnings follow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision not to extend a traditional congratulatory call to Ukrainian leaders on their Independence Day last week — a gesture Kyiv has historically viewed as a symbolic show of solidarity.

In a blunt statement, a senior Ukrainian official told The Jerusalem Post, “We demand financial support and assistance from the Israeli police on this matter,” underscoring Kyiv’s expectation that Israel shoulder a portion of the security burden that accompanies the mass pilgrimage each year.

Each Rosh Hashanah, tens of thousands of Israeli Jews — primarily from the Breslov Hasidic sect — travel to Uman to pray at the gravesite of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the sect’s spiritual founder. The pilgrimage has grown into one of the most significant annual religious gatherings in Eastern Europe, but it also poses immense logistical and security challenges for Ukrainian authorities.

As The Jerusalem Post report observed, tensions have long flared between the Ukrainian government, concerned about the strain on local infrastructure and security, and Israeli leaders, who regard the pilgrimage as a central component of religious freedom for their citizens. In past years, crises have erupted, only to be resolved through last-minute compromises. This year, however, the political atmosphere is notably more fraught.

Fueling the latest diplomatic row is Israel’s internal debate over haredi draft evasion. On Friday, Deputy Attorney-General Gil Limon issued a sharply worded legal opinion, insisting that young ultra-Orthodox men of enlistment age must not be permitted to leave Israel for Uman or any other foreign pilgrimage site if they have shirked their conscription obligations.

In his letter to attorneys representing petitioners before Israel’s High Court of Justice, Limon emphasized that no government plan could be permitted if its intent was to shield draft dodgers from law enforcement. “A plan with the purpose of avoiding exercising law enforcement against draftees who do not enlist and who violate their obligations under the Security Service Law… is contrary to the law,” he wrote, according to the report in The Jerusalem Post.

The deputy A-G further emphasized that such exemptions undermine the state’s duty to enforce the draft equitably, adding that his office had not been consulted regarding reported arrangements to facilitate the departures.

The remarks ignited backlash within the ultra-Orthodox community. Rabbi Natan Ben-Nun, chairman of the Breslov Union, expressed disappointment over the government’s stance, lamenting what he called an interference in the fulfillment of a sacred duty.

“We regret that the attorney-general found the time to prevent Breslov hassidim from fulfilling their religious obligation to come to Uman for Rosh Hashanah,” Ben-Nun said, as quoted by haredi outlet JDN and cited in The Jerusalem Post report.

For Breslov followers, the pilgrimage to Uman transcends ritual; it is a cornerstone of their spiritual identity. Rabbi Nachman himself declared that Rosh Hashanah “surpasses everything,” a teaching that his adherents uphold with unwavering devotion. “We are prepared in Uman for the arrival of the rabbis,” Ben-Nun added, voicing hope that a solution would soon emerge to allow students and yeshiva participants to travel “without fear of departure delays or threats of arrest.”

The Ukrainian government’s own frustrations are rooted not only in Netanyahu’s diplomatic cold shoulder but also in the broader costs of hosting tens of thousands of foreign nationals amid an ongoing war with Russia. Kyiv insists that Israel provide both financial support and tangible police cooperation to help manage the influx.

As The Jerusalem Post report highlighted, Kyiv’s irritation reflects both political grievances and practical concerns. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that Uman’s limited capacity strains local resources, from housing and sanitation to policing and emergency services. With Russia’s invasion continuing into its third year, authorities are particularly wary of diverting security personnel away from more urgent defense needs.

For Israel, the issue dovetails uncomfortably with its domestic political struggles. The government has already faced waves of protests and legal petitions over its treatment of haredi draft exemptions. Allowing thousands of draft-age men to board planes to Ukraine while their secular peers serve in combat units could inflame public anger further.

Yet, as The Jerusalem Post reported, Israeli leaders are also mindful of the political power wielded by haredi parties, which have pressed the government to ensure uninterrupted travel for the faithful. The contradiction between enforcing the draft law and accommodating the pilgrimage has once again brought Israel’s coalition tensions into sharp relief.

Observers note that the standoff also reflects a broader cooling in Israel-Ukraine relations. Kyiv has long expressed frustration over Jerusalem’s refusal to provide military aid in the face of Russia’s invasion, while Israel has carefully balanced its ties with Moscow due to security considerations in Syria. Netanyahu’s omission of a phone call on Ukraine’s Independence Day only deepened perceptions of indifference.

As The Jerusalem Post report explained, the diplomatic frostiness now risks spilling over into religious affairs, with ordinary worshippers potentially paying the price. If Kyiv makes good on its threat to restrict entry to Uman, thousands of Israelis could find themselves stranded or forced to abandon long-standing spiritual traditions.

For many families, the uncertainty surrounding the pilgrimage has already cast a pall over preparations for the High Holidays. Travel agencies catering to the ultra-Orthodox sector report a surge of anxious calls from clients seeking clarity on whether flights after September 22 will proceed as scheduled.

“I don’t know if I should pack or cancel,” said one yeshiva student from Bnei Brak, speaking anonymously to The Jerusalem Post. “We wait all year for Uman, and now we don’t know if it will happen. It feels like we’re being punished for politics.”

The clash encapsulates the enduring tension between religious freedom and national security obligations. For Ukraine, the pilgrimage represents both a security burden and a diplomatic bargaining chip. For Israel, it is a flashpoint in the contentious debate over haredi integration into national service.

As The Jerusalem Post report emphasized, the confluence of these issues — international diplomacy, internal politics, and religious devotion — makes the matter uniquely volatile. Neither Kyiv nor Jerusalem seems eager to escalate, yet neither appears willing to concede ground.

As the High Holidays approach, the fate of thousands of worshippers planning to journey to Uman hangs in the balance. Ukrainian officials have issued stark warnings, Israeli legal authorities have drawn red lines, and religious leaders have appealed for compromise.

Whether a solution will be brokered remains uncertain. What is clear, as The Jerusalem Post has repeatedly underscored, is that the annual pilgrimage — once a purely spiritual event — has become entangled in the thorniest of political and legal disputes, exposing fault lines in both Ukrainian-Israeli relations and Israel’s own societal fabric.