Ukraine Warns Israel: No Arrangements Yet for Uman

Less than two weeks before Rosh Hashanah, Ukraine is voicing concern that Israel has not yet coordinated the necessary preparations for the annual Rosh Hashanah gathering in Uman, warning that “time is running out.”

“They think it has been agreed somehow by talking through the leaders of the Charedim, who then contact Ukrainian officials,” Ukrainian Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk told The Times of Israel Wednesday.

“Time is running out,” he emphasized. “We don’t know what’s happening.”

Korniychuk explained that the annual event, which could draw as many as 40,000 visitors this year, requires significant logistical planning. This includes a large Israeli police presence, along with delegations of Israeli paramedics, emergency workers, and the setup of temporary bomb shelters.

The ambassador noted with regret that unlike previous years, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have not spoken ahead of Yom Tov.

If the arrangements are not put in place soon, “we might have surprises this year,” Korniychuk cautioned. He pointed out that under wartime conditions, Ukraine has a ban on public gatherings larger than ten people.

“We don’t need the visitors during a war,” he said, while also stressing that the tourist fees from Jewish travelers are important for cleaning the city after the Yom Tov. Still, he highlighted that the pilgrimage consumes Ukrainian resources, including the mobilization of thousands of emergency workers.

“Why do they think this is our problem and not their problem?” he asked. “I am very surprised.”