Every year, in the last days of August, pilgrims from Israel come to the Ukrainian city of Uman, located in the center of Ukraine, in the Cherkasy region, not only to celebrate the Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashanah, but also to honor the memory of the righteous Rabbi (teacher) Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810).
Tzaddik Nachman of Bratslav is the great-grandson of the founder of Hasidism, the Tzaddik Baal Shem Tov, and one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the Bratslav Hasidim. In his last years, Nachman worked in the Ukrainian city of Uman, where he passed away in 1810. He was buried in an ancient Jewish cemetery, per his will.
This year, Uman is preparing to welcome a record number of pilgrims from Israel. Despite the war in Ukraine, difficulties with the roads, and high prices, hundreds of Hasidim strive to visit the city for the Rosh Hashanah holiday. Rabbi Nachman's will states that anyone who comes to him with a request will not go unanswered.
The celebration of Rosh Hashanah in Uman will begin on September 25 and last until September 27, according to the 2025 calendar. The Ukrainian government has also decided to elevate the status of Tzaddik Nachman's grave from a local significance monument to a national significance monument, which means the highest level of state protection for this place.
On July 2, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine raised the status of Nachman's grave from a local significance monument to a national significance monument.
It should be noted that each year there is a trend of increasing the total number of pilgrims. On average, about 30,000 Hasidim arrive for the Rosh Hashanah celebration.
So who is this Tzaddik Nachman, and why do pilgrims from all over the world come to his grave in Ukraine? Let's try to figure it out.
Tzaddik Nachman was born on April 4, 1772, in Medzhybizh (Khmelnytsky region). According to neighbors, the boy stood out from childhood for his sharp mind and erudition. At around 13 years old, he compiled his first handwritten work 'The Book of Moral Qualities', a collection of aphorisms on various aspects of Jewish spiritual life.
Tzaddik Nachman studied in the village of Osoty (Old Osoty, Kirovohrad region). There, he began his spiritual formation. In 1798-1799, Nachman made a pilgrimage to Palestine. The trip was quite dangerous.
In 1802, Rabbi Nachman settled in a small town in Podolia, Bratslav. On the way to his new place of residence, he visited a cemetery in Uman, where many Jews who died during the turbulent Ukrainian-Polish events of the Koliyivshchyna of 1768 were buried.
"How many executions took place here, how many saints were here!", exclaimed the Rabbi, and asked to be buried in Uman, next to the victims of the pogroms - to later "bring them to the throne of the Lord".
The main work of the Tzaddik is considered to be the famous "Ontology of Rabbi Nachman's Teachings". This work contained, as recorded by Shternhartz, about three hundred lessons of Nachman. Additionally, symbolically designed fairy tale parables of the Tzaddik titled «Stories of the Unusual» were also published.
Bratslav was not a happy city for Nachman. There he became a widower and also buried his firstborn, on whom he pinned messianic hopes. Furthermore, he himself fell ill with tuberculosis. In May 1810, Nachman moves to Uman, where he settles next to the Jewish cemetery. The Tzaddik died on October 16, 1810.
Every year, on the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, a large Hasidic pilgrimage takes place in Uman. Why do people from another country, speaking another language, practicing another religion, with a different way of life visit an almost unknown country where there is a war every year? And, by the way, there is also a war in their country...
It is said that in his will, Rabbi Nachman explained this situation and gave instructions to his followers. He bequeathed that on the New Year, at his grave in Uman, his memory should be honored, candles lit, offerings made, and prayers of 'Correction' recited. For this, the Tzaddik promised them mercy and blessings.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway in Uman for the arrival of the Hasidim. Historian and expert on relations between Israel and Ukraine, Shimon Briman, stated that this year around 55,000 pilgrims may come to Ukraine, which is a record number.
At the same time, Uman is preparing for the proper reception of the pilgrims. In particular, a special hospital ward has even been opened in the city, which will operate during the holiday.
"All infrastructure is already ready. In Uman, a clinic has already been built to provide medical assistance for pilgrims 24 hours a day. Hundreds of thousands of portions of kosher food are already being prepared", said the expert.
According to Briman, the believers are not deterred by safety in Ukraine or the high cost of such a trip. For them, the main thing is to visit the grave of Tzaddik Nachman.